Caffeine Facts and Caffeine Myths
The truth about the little wonder drug, caffeine.
Caffeine Facts
- Caffeine is a psychoactive drug, a central nervous stimulant.
- Caffeine is the most widely used behaviorally active drug in the world. Yes, world.
- The severity of withdrawal sysmptoms increase as the caffeine dose increases. (ie: the more you intate, the harder the crash is going to be when you stop.)
- Even a low daily dosage (100mg) can cause significant caffeine withdrawal sysmptoms.
- Slowly lowering your caffeine consumption can lessen the effects of caffeine withdrawal. Although a 100mg drop can start triggering the affects.
- Caffeine addiction, the bodies dependence on caffeine, can start in as little as 3 days.
- Caffeine is naturally present in over 60 plants.
- 80% of adult Americans get their caffeine every date from coffee.
- The estimated daily average caffeine consumption of an adult consumer in the United States is 280 mg.
- The British, well known for their tea drinking, sip 196,000,000 cups a day!
Caffeine Myths
- Myth: Decaffeinated coffee & tea is caffeine-free.
Truth: Decaffeinated coffee and tea still have a small amount of caffeine in them. The decaffination porcess removes about 98% of the caffine, but their is still some there. - Myth: Caffeine consumption can decrease bone density.
Truth: Researchers have found no direct link between low bone density and high caffeine intake. Studies done at the Mayo clinic have found that even though caffeine intake marginally increases urinary calcium excretion, caffeine was not an important risk factor for osteoporosis. - Myth: Coffee will help a hangover.
Truth: You wish. Caffine, be it in coffee or other things, won't help someone "sober up".
Reference:
Caffeine Withdrawal: A Parametric Analysis of Caffeine Dosing Conditions
by Suzette M. Evans and Roland R. Griffiths.
Published In: THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS
Vol. 289, No. 1