“I only drink coffee on days that end in Y,” goes the saying. If this mantra applies to you, welcome to the club. The most popular ingredient in coffee, caffeineit is estimated to be the most used psychoactive drug in the world, with billions of people consuming it every day. But unlike other addictive substances, it’s largely unregulated, and no one would shy away from the idea that you might struggle to function without it from the moment you wake up.
Coffee lovers may be on to something, as numerous studies show that, taken in the right way, caffeine can improve many things, not least your cognitive abilities and alertness. Also, your Java pick-me-up search may bring up many related ones health benefits. However, not all caffeine sources are created equal. In recent months, its health risks, especially in energy drinks, have come into focus again. In June, the UK’s Labor party, which currently forms the country’s government, pledged to ban the sale of these drinks to under-16s because of their “dangerously high” caffeine content. This follows a comprehensive report called The dark side of energy drinkswhich documents cases of people who had serious health problems after consuming them.
Dosage is another concern. We don’t all answer…
