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Will Caffeine Cause Health Problems?

Posted by Cliff on from the too-much-of-a-good-thing dept.

numbski asks: "We're all geeks here, and I think there is no question how much we love our caffeine. What concerns me is that my fiancee has noticed how much I take in during the morning, and that I even use Diet Pepsi in addition to pain killers as a medication for headaches. So I did my googling about caffeine and addiction. In the minority, you have one report making a scientific claim that there is no such thing as an addiction to caffeine, however many other articles (not to mention marketing propaganda) suggest otherwise. Perhaps not just the sake of having an addiction is what concerns me, but whatever other side effects. I generally take good care of myself, go to the gym, exercise, play hockey, eat right. I hate to have a stroke or heart attack later on in life because of the stuff. I'd be curious to know the thoughts of others who take in large amounts of caffeine, and perhaps what their doctors have said about it. I plan on talking to my own soon, but it seems like this warrants discussion amongst those who consume the most. Would/does this prevent you from grabbing your Bawls and running like hell?"

5 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. from the BAWLS link by mattsucks · · Score: 4, Insightful

    BAWLS Guarana, www.bawls.com, is a high caffeine soft drink made from the guarana berry from the Amazonian Rainforest. The caffeine derived from guarana is twice as powerful as the caffeine derived from coffee.

    I thought caffeine was caffeine was caffeine was a single molecule. How can a molecule from one source be "twice as powerful" as the same molecule from another source?

    Or maybe I've just had too much coffee, and now I'm all paranoid.

  2. Will Caffeine Cause Health Problems? by Alomex · · Score: 4, Insightful


    Short answer NO. Long answer anything in excess can cause health problems, including water.

    People seem to have a moral problem with a drug that has no side effects, but let's face it, from the scientific literature it seems caffeine is it.

    It is midly addictive, in the sense that you crave it, but getting rid of the addiction is generally very easy if you use the fade out method (gradually reduce your consumption of caffeine over a period of several weeks).

    1. Re:Will Caffeine Cause Health Problems? by ctr2sprt · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Of course it had side effects, that's why we like it. The stimulant aspect wakes us up (people with heart problems beware), and the diuretic aspect means we get frequent breaks at work (people with kidney problems beware).

      But yeah, for most people, a reasonable intake of caffeine is not going to cause any problems. I don't know if I quite buy the addiction claim - I had no problem quitting cold turkey - but then, I also had no problem quitting smoking (and drinking) cold turkey. Maybe I've got some gene that makes me resistant to addictions. And yes, I now have the most boring life imaginable.

  3. Hmmm... by The+AtomicPunk · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Have you considered, I don't know, maybe... asking someone in the medical profession?

    "I have cancer, and I'm wondering what course of treatment slashdotters would recommend?"

  4. Re:You forgot one benefit by guardian-ct · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sure, taking a break from the computer once an hour would be good for health in general.