Better take a big sip of some strong coffee and experience some of the tranquil energy that caffeine imparts. If you enjoy caffeine, this story may shake you up a little.
No drug has ever been field tested the way caffeine has been. There are almost 7 billion people in the world. About 95% of them use significant amounts of caffeine on a regular basis. So, apart from the overwhelming evidence of double-blind and longitudinal peer-reviewed research studies proving the dozens of health and lifestyle benefits of caffeine and demonstrating that caffeine is extremely safe for almost all healthy adults, caffeine has an unequalled record of safety and value proven through hundreds of years of use by what has become nearly the entire human race.
Does this safety record convince the caffeine paranoia contingent? Not a chance.
“Do we have the courage to ban caffeine?” asks the L.A. Times after reporting a small, badly designed Australian study by an unrecognized group that seemed to suggest that people who have taken large amounts of caffeine may sometimes experience small auditory hallucinations. “It’s about saving our minds,” the L.A. Time explains.
The newspaper admits that the study was statistically meaningless, was published in an obscure journal, and was poorly controlled. Nevertheless, the paper presents the study as if it contained probative and valuable warnings about the dangers of caffeine.
The L.A. Times is hardly alone is touting this study. Newspapers, magazines, and web sites around the world have been trumpeting this “scientific finding” since it was released. For some obscure reason, whenever anything critical of caffeine emerges in the news, no matter how poorly supported, the press goes wild and repeats the attacks on caffeine ad nauseam.
Our suggestion to our gentle readers: Have a cup of coffee, take it easy, and don’t let scare-mongers deprive you of the amazing enjoyments and benefits that caffeine delivers!
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