Caffeine kick-start a myth, study concludes

By THANE BURNETT, QMI Agency

Professor Peter Rogers has found regular coffee drinkers are no more focused and alert than those who stay clear of the daily brew. (QMI Agency/Errol McGihon, file)

Professor Peter Rogers has created a tempest in a teacup.

Or coffee mug.

The UK eating behavior expert is challenging what many caffeine addicts take as gospel — that their morning cup helps revive them.

But that kick-start is really a trick, Rogers has concluded. In fact, his research has found regular coffee drinkers are no more focused and alert than those who stay clear of the daily brew.

While it’s true you may feel more awake after downing your first cup of the day, what regular coffee or tea drinkers are feeling is the body making up for caffeine withdrawal that’s accumulated all night.

“We’re not saying people … especially non-regular consumers, don’t feel the effect — they feel stimulated but are not more alert,” Rogers told QMI Agency from his office at the University of Bristoll.

And if you drink coffee regularly during the week and then largely put it aside on weekends, that likely explains why you feel worn out by Sunday.

Rather than acting as a pick-up, it may actually be dragging us down until we have another shot, the research suggests.

As well, those who don’t regularly consume caffeine, but grab a cup to sometimes perk up, may be no better off. Rogers says they simply feel the anxiety of caffeine as well as the withdrawal the following day.

Rogers used blood samples taken from almost 400 volunteers who did without caffeine for 16 hours.

They were then given a caffeine pill or a placebo and another slightly higher dose some time after.

About half of the group was made up of regular caffeine drinkers — around three cups a day. The other half had largely lived without it.

Rogers found those who took the caffeine pills were no more alert than those who took the fake doses. But those who usually lived off of coffee, and took the placebo, were dragging their tails during testing.

The researcher is not suggesting people toss out their cups. He drinks lots of tea — though it’s decaffeinated.

But on a recent long drive from Italy, when flights were grounded thanks to volcanic ash, Rogers counted on caffeine. He even kept track of his reactions for the sake of science.

“It sure keeps people from falling asleep — and it helped me,” he concluded.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

 
 
 
This story was posted on Thu, June 3, 2010