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Caffeine Myths and
Facts
"We are fortunate to have a large database on caffeine and pregnancy from different
studies. Overall, the data reinforce the safety of moderate consumption of caffeine during
pregnancy." (James Mills, M.D. National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development)
Caffeine has been a hot topic in the media this year. Much of the attention may be
attributed to the popularity of specialty coffees and coffee houses throughout the
country. Such stories on the "coffee craze" sometimes have focused on caffeine
and health. Here, four experts dispel popular myths about caffeine:
MYTH: Parents should avoid
giving children caffeine-containing foods or
beverages.
FACT: According to Judith
Rapoport, M.D., chief of the Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental
Health, most children don't react adversely to caffeine with the portions they typically
consume. "With our studies, the majority of children had unremarkable responses to
caffeine," Rapoport said. "I don't do any more research on children and caffeine
consumption because the outcomes were not out of the ordinary." Rapoport recommended
that parents use common sense in giving their children normal portions of caffeinated
foods and beverages, including soft drinks and iced tea.
MYTH: Caffeine causes
hyperactivity in children.
FACT: Studies show children are
no more sensitive to caffeine than adults. Rapoport said most well-conducted scientific
studies have not shown any effects of caffeine-containing foods - or diet in general - on
hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder in children. "I remain skeptical of any
claims that caffeine causes hyperactivity in children based on our own research and the
weight of scientific
evidence," said Rapoport.
MYTH: Pregnant women
should avoid caffeine.
FACT: Research indicates that
moderate caffeine consumption does not cause adverse health effects in the pregnant mother
or child, nor does it affect fertility.
According to James Mills, M.D., chief of the Pediatric Epidemiology Section of the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, "We are fortunate to have a
large database on caffeine and pregnancy from different studies. Overall, the data
reinforce the safety of moderate consumption of caffeine during pregnancy."
For pregnant women who wish to consume caffeine-containing foods and beverages, Mills
recommended 300 milligrams per day as a safe level of caffeine intake, the amount in three
to five cups of coffee or several cans of soft drinks.
MYTH: Caffeine's effects
are addictive, similar to serious drugs.
FACT: "Absolutely
not," said Charles O'Brien, M.D., chief of psychiatry at the Veterans Administration
Medical Center and professor and vice- chairman of psychiatry at The University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
O'Brien emphasized that whereas cocaine and heroin are highly addictive drugs and produce
serious health, social and psychiatric effects, absolutely no evidence suggests that
caffeine produces similar
outcomes. In the true medical sense, caffeine "addiction" would imply using
caffeine in an abusive, out of control way in an attempt to get high, or using it in a
manner that is harmful to oneself or to one's family or surroundings.
"Once people reach their normal daily level of caffeine consumption, they usually
have no desire to consume more," said O'Brien.
Furthermore, comparing a safe substance such as caffeine to cocaine and heroin trivializes
the dangerous effects of these substances and sends mixed messages to youth. "In the
end, linking caffeine with serious drugs may suggest to kids that cocaine and heroin are
not as dangerous as they truely are," O'Brien said.
MYTH: It is difficult to
reduce or eliminate caffeine intake.
FACT: The effects of reducing or
stopping caffeine intake are mild for the vast majority of people. "The majority of
people have no problems when consumption of caffeine is decreased over the course of
several days rather than all at once," O'Brien said.
MYTH: Caffeine causes
breast disease.
FACT: Both the American Medical
Association's Council on Scientific Affairs and the National Cancer Institute have
concluded that there is no association between caffeine intake and fibrocystic breast
disease. According to Laurie Green, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist with the California
Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, "Many women wonder whether lumpiness in the
breast tissue is due to caffeine. Studies show that benign breast disease - which is the
lumpiness - has absolutely no link to caffeine. I feel completely comfortable with my
patients consuming moderate amounts of caffeine," she added.
This article is reprinted with
permission from the International
Food Information Council Foundation, September 1998.
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