Caffeine

Caffeine

Beware the Java Jitters

She shuffles past your office every morning at 9:03, head down, coffee mug in hand, one eye shut, the other half-open.

"Hi, Jenny," you say.

"Hullumph," she mumbles.

By 11:30 a.m., she's sprinting down the hallway and leaping file cabinets.

"Hi, Jenny," you say.

"Oh-geez-hi-how-are-you-nice-dress-have-you-seen-the-boss-I-have-to-get-this-report-done-by-noon," Jenny says.

When it's time to go home, you find her facedown in a spreadsheet, empty cans of cola scattered across her desk.

"Good night, Jenny," you say.

"Grok," Jenny says.

Like Jenny, more than half the people in America use caffeine to jump into the day. A cup of coffee or tea, or even a can of cola, can sometimes clear your head, perk up your body and quickly return you to the land of the living.

But be careful not to overdo it. Too much caffeine can make you like Jenny--fatigued, jittery, irritable or all three at once--and may put you at risk of health and age-related problems, ranging from headaches and insomnia to heart disease.

"Take it easy with caffeine," says Mary Sullivan, R.D., a nutrition support specialist at the University of Chicago Hospitals. "It can really help you sharpen your mind and body when taken in small amounts. But it might also cause some harm if you take an excessive amount in your diet."

Grounds for Concern

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, triggering the release of adrenaline into your bloodstream and raising blood sugar levels. That makes you more alert and focused and reduces fatigue in the short term.

But too much can lead to a condition called caffeinism, more commonly known as coffee nerves. This problem is marked by light-headedness, fidgeting, upset stomach, diarrhea, frequent urination, insomnia and headache. To stop all that, you have to cut back on caffeine.

Studies also warn about possible links between caffeine and elevated cholesterol levels, increased problems with high blood pressure and aggravated symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and fibrocystic breast disease. But test results have been inconsistent and often contradictory. Manfred Kroger, Ph.D., professor of food science at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, says that's because many studies use coffee to provide caffeine to test subjects, and coffee may contain other ingredients that cause problems of their own.

How much caffeine is too much? It depends. "No two people are the same," says Richard Podell, M.D., clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey. "One cup of coffee can cause problems in some women, and other women seem to have a much higher tolerance."

The federal Food and Drug Administration includes caffeine on its "Generally Recognized as Safe" list but warns that people should ingest it in moderation. Americans consume an average of 200 milligrams of caffeine per day, the equivalent of about two five-ounce cups of coffee or four cans of cola. Sullivan says that amount of caffeine probably won't hurt most people.

"Just use your head," she says. "If you're having trouble sleeping or feeling jittery, it's probably a good idea to cut back."

Dr. Kroger warns that no one should be drinking more than two or three cups of coffee a day, no matter how an individual reacts to caffeine. "We just don't know enough about what it can do to you," he says. "Err to the side of moderation."

How to Be Cautious with Caffeine

If you are looking to limit caffeine in your diet but don't want to eliminate it altogether, experts offer this advice.

Nix the nightcap. Caffeine stays in your system longer than most other stimulants. Half the caffeine you drink in a cup of coffee may still be coursing through your veins five hours later. So if you're having problems sleeping, Sullivan says you should avoid caffeine starting in the late afternoon.

Do some decaf. Can't bear the thought of a coffeeless life? Decaffeinated brands may be one answer, but Dr. Kroger warns that decaf may still contain harmful elements of regular coffee that have yet to be investigated fully. "Switching to decaf is not an invitation to continue drinking ten cups a day," Dr. Kroger says.

You could also try the new half-decaf, half-regular coffees on the market. Or switch to coffee made from arabica beans. These beans can contain about one-third less caffeine than the cheaper robusta beans, which are often used in instant coffees.

It's not just coffee and tea. Coffee and tea aren't the only caffeine hideouts. Soft drinks contain one-third to one-half as much caffeine as coffee. Drinking a caffeine-free brand can cut your caffeine intake by as much as 60 milligrams, Sullivan says.

Be careful with dark chocolate, too. You'd need to eat more than a pound of Hershey's milk chocolate to get the same amount of caffeine found in a cup of percolated coffee--but just three ounces of Ghirardelli dark chocolate is nearly a cup of coffee's worth of caffeine by itself.

Nonprescription drugs may also contain a surprising amount of caffeine. Some analgesics contain a soft drink's worth or more. And diet pills and pep-up pills such as Maximum Strength No Doz and Vivarin contain as much as 200 milligrams of caffeine.

Break your routine. Maybe you're not hooked on caffeine as much as you are hooked on the routine. "If you find yourself picking up a mug of coffee every time you sit down to a task, you probably just have a bad habit," Sullivan explains. "Ask yourself if you really want that cup or whether you can do without it."

You could also try putting something else in your mug (water, perhaps, since most of us don't drink enough anyway).

Read the label. Anyone who has ever pulled an all-nighter knows that pep pills such as No Doz and Vivarin are absolutely stuffed with caffeine. That's the whole point. But you may be surprised to find that some analgesics (such as Anacin and Excedrin) contain as much caffeine as a typical can of cola. If you're caffeine sensitive, check the small print on your box of aspirin.

Back off slowly. If you decide to reduce your caffeine intake, Sullivan suggests you do it gradually, over the course of a few days. Going cold turkey on caffeine can lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, including headache, anxiety and feelings of depression. Studies show these symptoms occur even in people who are moderate coffee drinkers.