Most people can't get through the day without a hit of caffeine. Chances are you're one of them. But do you really know what that daily coffee or coke is doing to you? Caffeine is a powerful stimulant. It wakes us up, boosts our mood, and offers the potential to improve both our athletic performance and our intellectual prowess. But did you know that caffeine can play a role in health problems such as obesity and anxiety, depending on how it is delivered to the body? Many purveyors of caffeine-based products have ducked regulation for decades - how have they been allowed to get away with this? And are you aware of how caffeine is used to reinforce buying patterns, sharpening our craving for it? From the coffee farms of Guatemala to the world's largest synthetic caffeine factory in China, Murray Carpenter draws on the latest research to reveal the little-known truths about this addictive, largely unregulated drug that we consume every day in coffee, energy drinks, teas, colas, chocolate, and even painkillers.

"You'll never think the same way about your morning cup of coffee." --Mark McClusky, editor in chief of Wired.com and author of "Faster, Higher, Stronger"
Journalist Murray Carpenter has been under the influence of a drug for nearly three decades. And he's in good company, because chances are you're hooked, too. Humans have used caffeine for thousands of years. A bitter white powder in its most essential form, a tablespoon of it would kill even the most habituated user. This addictive, largely unregulated substance is everywhere--in places you'd expect (like coffee and chocolate) and places you wouldn't (like chewing gum and fruit juice), and Carpenter reveals its impact on soldiers, athletes, and even children. It can make you stronger, faster, and more alert, but it's not perfect, and its role in health concerns like obesity and anxiety will surprise you.
Making stops at the coffee farms of central Guatemala, a synthetic caffeine factory in China, and an energy shot bottler in New Jersey, among numerous other locales around the globe, "Caffeinated" exposes the high-stakes but murky world of caffeine, drawing on cutting-edge science and larger-than-life characters to offer an unprecedented understanding of America's favorite drug.