coffee in the news

There are some people who maintain that they need their morning cup of coffee to wake them up and that without it they are less alert and sluggish.

Well new research from Bristol University suggest that the caffeine eases withdrawal symptoms which build up overnight, but does not make people more alert than normal. The work, presented to the British Nutrition Foundation conference only people who have avoided coffee for a while will get a buzz from caffeine.

Apparently all the drink does is counteract the mild withdrawal symptoms people experience because they have gone without the stimulant overnight. Those who drank a caffeinated drink first thing were no more alert than those who never consumed one.

Professor Rogers said caffeine did have some benefits, such as preventing cognitive decline in the elderly. But he said it was usually be best to opt for decaffeinated drinks - although the odd coffee could help.
"If you're not a regular consumer, you might get something out of one or two drinks. But once you're a regular consumer, you're in a cycle of withdrawal reversal."

Is this really a surprise? I mean caffeine is a drug so the person gasping for a coffee is the same as someone waiting for their latest fix.

Perhaps more interesting is a study from Southwestern University in the USA. The study seems to show that caffeine increases the libido of female rats. The effect was caused by it stimulating the part of the brain regulating arousal. Again the effect was likely only to apply to Humans who don't drink coffee regularly. Apparently a non coffee drinker would have to drink 10 cups of coffee on the bounce to get the same effect.