Archive-Name: caffeine-faq
Last-modified: November 14, 1993
Version: 1.1
Frequently Asked Questions for alt.drugs.caffeine
This group is dedicated to all beverages and products that contain
caffeine. Including tea, coffee, chocolate, mate, caffeinated
soft drinks, caffeinated pills, coffee beans, etc.
1.- How much caffeine is there in [drink/food/pill]?
2.- How to prepare a good espresso
3.- How to prepare a good cappuccino
4.- How to make your own chocolate
5.- What happens when you overdose?
6.- Chemically speaking, what is caffeine?
7.- Is it true that tea has no caffeine/What is teine, theobromine, etc?
8.- Where can I find a gif of the caffeine molecule?
9.- How to make the best cup of coffee?
10.- How do you pronounce mate?
11.- How do you spell Colombia/Colombian?
12.- What is the best temperature for drip coffee?
13.- Proper care of Coffee makers...
14.- List of Contributors
15.- Copyright
1.- How much caffeine there is in [name drink]?
According to the National Soft Drink Association, the following is the
caffeine content in mgs per 12 oz can of soda:
Jolt 100.0
Sugar-Free Mr. Pibb 58.8
Mountain Dew 54.0 (MD contains no caffeine in Canada)
Mello Yellow 52.8
Tab 46.8
Coca-Cola 45.6
Diet Cola 45.6
Shasta Cola 44.4
Shasta Cherry Cola 44.4
Shasta Diet Cola 44.4
Mr. Pibb 40.8
Dr. Pepper 39.6
Pepsi Cola 38.4
Aspen 36.0
Diet Pepsi 36.0
RC Cola 36.0
Diet RC 36.0
Diet Rite 36.0
Canada Dry Cola 30.0
Canada Dry Diet Cola 1.2
7 Up 0
By means of comparison, a 7 oz cup of coffee has the following
caffeine (mg) amounts, according to Bunker and McWilliams in _J Am
Diet_ 74:28-32, 1979:
Drip 115-175
Espresso 100mg of caffeine
1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Brewed 80-135
Instant 65-100
Decaf, brewed 3-4
Decaf, instant 2-3
tea, iced (12 ozs.) 70
tea, brewed, imported 60
tea, brewed, U.S. 40
tea, instant 30
The variability in the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee or tea
is huge even if prepared by the same person using the same equipment
and ingedients day after day.
Ref.
Variablility in caffeine consumption from coffee and tea: Possible
significance for epidemiological studies by B. Stavric, R. Klassen, B.
Watkinson, K. Karpinski, R. Stapley, and P. Fried in "Foundations of
Chemical Toxicology", Volume 26, number 2, pp. 111-118, 1988
and an easy to read overview, Looking for the Perfect Brew by S.
Eisenberg, "Science News", Volume 133, April 16, 1988, pp. 252-253.
Quote from the lab manual:
Caffeine is present in tea leaves and in coffee to the extent of
about 4%. Tea also contains two other alkaloids, theobromine and
theophilline. These last two relax the smooth muscles where
caffeine stimulates the heart and respiratory systems.
Other data on caffeine:
Cup of coffee 90-150mg
Instant coffee 60-80mg
Tea 30-70mg
Cola 30-45mg
Chocolate bar 30mg
Stay-awake pill 100mg
Vivarin 200mg
Cold relief tablet 30mg
The following information is from _Bowes and Church's Food values of
portions commonly used_, by Anna De Planter Bowes. Lippincott,
Phila. 1989. Pages 261-2: Caffeine.
Candy:
Chocolate mg caffeine
baking choc, unsweetened, Bakers--1 oz(28 g) 25
german sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g) 8
semi-sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g) 13
Choc chips
Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g) 13
german sweet, Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g) 15
Chocolate bar, Cadbury -- 1 oz (28 g) 15
Chocolate milk 8oz 8
Desserts:
Jello Pudding Pops, Choc (47 g) 2
Choc mousse from Jell-O mix (95 g) 6
Jello choc fudge mousse (86 g) 12
Beverages
3 heaping teaspoons of choc powder mix 8
2 tablespoons choc syrup 5
1 envelope hot cocoa mix 5
Dietary formulas
ensure, plus, choc, Ross Labs -- 8 oz (259 g) 10
Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bar
More stuff:
Guarana "Magic Power" (quite common in Germany),
15 ml alcohol with
5g Guarana Seeds 250.0 mg
Guarana capsules with
500 mg G. seeds 25.0 mg / capsule
(assuming 5% caffeine in seeds as stated in literature)
Guarana soda pop is ubiquitous in Brazil and often available at
tropical groceries here. It's really tasty and packs a wallop. The
stuff in guarana is apparently somewhat different from caffeine
itself, because although it wakes you up like crazy, it doesn't
cause coffee jitters.
2.- How to prepare a good espresso
After living in Italy ( Rome ) for two years and living off
espresso, Mr. X have found American espresso doesn't cut it.
Heres how to do it.
First : Get GOOD DARK roasted espresso beans, imported
Italian brand if you can find it.
Second : PACK your strainer real full. Pack it hard.
your instructions will say NOT to pack it, but don't listen.
Third : DON'T USE TOO MUCH WATER. Espresso in Italy
is as thick as syrup. VERY THICK.
Add two spoons of sugar, it's a sweet, THICK liquid
in Italy.
Drink fast.
Enjoy.
If using a stove top espresso machine, clean after EACH use,
paying attention to the seal and strainer.
=1= For best results, get arabica beans that have been roasted
dark ("Italian Roast" is darkest) and are oily-looking. Other
roasts are for other types of brewing: espresso machines won't
draw the earthy flavor of Sumatran out, for example. A small
amount of other beans might add a nice note to the flavor,
though (I've had surprising success adding a few of Thanksgiving
Coffee's "High-Caffeine Pony Express" beans, which are actually
robusta beans from Thailand).
=2= Grind those beans until they're very fine, but not quite a
powder. Put them into the appropriate piece of your machine
and tamp it down (but don't pack all the grounds in tight).
=3= Watch the espresso as it drips down. Does a nice layer of
foam form on the top? If it does, all is well; that foam is
made from the flavourful oils. If not, go to the coffee roaster
and demand quadruple your money back.
=4= Never make more than 2oz at a time. If you're making two
cups of espresso, make two separate shots. This is important.
The idea is that the steam rushes through and draws out only
the most flavourful part of the grounds. More than 2oz and
you're drawing out less flavourful stuff and diluting your
espresso. If you're really hardcore, make only 1oz at a time;
this is called _caffe_ristretto_.
3.- How to prepare a good cappuccino
Disclaimer: People prepare cappuccino in many different ways, and in
their very own way each one of them is correct. The following
recipe, which is commonly used in Latin countries, has been tasted
by several of my north-american friends and they unanimously agreed
that cappuccino prepared using this recipe tastes much better than
the standard fare in USA/Canada.
Start with cold milk (it doesn't really need to be ice-cold), use
homo milk or carnation. 2% or skim is just not thick enough.
Place the milk on a special cappuccino glass with a cappuccino
basket. (cappuccino glasses have a thinner bottom).
Aerate the milk near the top, within 2cm (1 in) of the top. Move
the glass down as the milk aerates. It is a good idea to have an
oscillating motion while aerating the milk.
Stop when the milk starts boiling or have it boil, let it cool down
for a second or so (literally), and aerate again (it is harder to
get a nice froth after the milk has boiled).
AERATING THE MILK IN ANOTHER CONTAINER, THEN POURING IN A GLASS AND
ADDING THE FOAM WITH A SPOON IS SACRILEGE.
Anybody who has done so should make a pilgrimage to San Francisco's
Girardelli's. Otherwise entry to heaven will be denied (god, is
after all, Italian. At least the catholic one).
If you need to aerate the milk on a separate container, aerate
exactly the amount of milk required for one cup, so no need to add
foam with a spoon.
Once the milk has been aerated, promptly clean the aerator with a
wet rag. Failure to do so will quickly result in rotten milk
flavour coming from the aerator.
Another warning on similar lines applies to restaurant type coffee
machines: leave the aerator valve open when powering the machine up
and down. When the machine is off a partial vacuum is formed in the
boiler that will suck milk residue into the boiler. This then coats
the inside of the boiler and can cause bad smelling steam until the
boiler is flushed. Some machines have a vacuum bleed valve to
prevent this problem but many don't.
Wait for the steam pressure to build up again (for some cappuccino
makers wait time is near zero, for others it maybe as long as 60
secs).
Prepare the espresso coffee, you may add it directly on to the glass
if possible or use a cup and then pour it from the cup on the milk.
According to Jym Dyer: In Italy, the milk is added TO the espresso,
not the other way around, that way the milk is floating; on top,
where you then add the sugar, and stir it up.
Capuccino tastes better when is really hot, and has two coffee
teaspoons of sugar. (small teaspoons, like the ones in expensive
silverware).
Then accompany said cappuccino with a warm tea bisquet or english
muffin with marmalade, or alternatively with a baguette sandwich or
panini.
4.- How to make your own chocolate
MAKE YOUR OWN CHOCOLATE:
Here's the recipe for making a real chocolate beverage. Important
steps are in all CAPITALS.
Ingredients:
1-2kg (2-4pounds) of cocoa beans.
A manually operated grinder.
Instructions
Sift though the beans removing any impurities (pieces of grass,
leaves, etc).
Place the beans in a pan (no teflon) and roast them. Stir
frequently.
As the beans roast they start making "pop" sounds like popcorn.
Beans are ready when you estimate that approx 50-75% of the beans
have popped. Do not let the beans burn, though a bit of black on
each bean is ok.
Peel the beans. Peeling roasted cocoa beans is like peeling baked
potatoes: The hotter they are the easier it is to peel the darn
things, at the expense of third degree burns on your fingers. (Tip:
Use kitchen mittens and brush the beans in your hands). If the
beans are too hard to peel roast them a bit longer.
Grind the beans into a pan. They produce a dark oily paste
called "cocoa paste".
The oil in the cocoa has a bitter taste that you have to get used
to. I like it this way, but not all people do. Here are the
alternatives:
WITH OIL, which gives you a richer flavour:
Spread aluminum foil on a table and make small pies of chocolate,
about 1/4 of an inch high, and 6 inches in diameter. Let them rest
overnight. The morning after they are hard tablets. Remove them
from the aluminum foil and rap them in it. Store in the freezer.
WITHOUT OIL, some flavour is gone, less bitter, weaker (whimper)
chocolate:
Put the paste inside a thin cloth (like linen), close the cloth
and squeeze until the oil comes out. If you manage to get most of
the oil out, what is left is high quality cocoa powder, like
Droste's.
What is left now is either bitter tablets or bitter cocoa powder.
You can now make a nice beverage as follows:
Boil a liter of milk (or water, like in ancient Mexican style.
Like water for chocolate, "Como agua para chocolate": you know).
When the milk is warm (not hot) add a chocolate pie in pieces.
Stir with a blender (but be careful! the blender's electric cord
should NOT touch the pot or any other hot thing around it).
When the chocolate has dissolved add 1/2-3/4 cups of sugar
(depending how sweet you like your chocolate) and blend in fast.
MAKE SURE THE SUGAR IS COMPLETELY DISSOLVED IN THE CHOCOLATE
OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE BITTER NO MATTER HOW MUCH SUGAR YOU MAY ADD
AFTERWARDS.
Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or NATURAL vanilla flavour (artificial
vanilla flavour with chocolate results in an awful medicine like
flavour) if you like, and blend again.
Let the mixture boil, when it starts to get bubbly quickly remove
the pan from the stove top, and rest the bottom against a soaked
cloth. Put again on stove top, it should get bubbly almost
immediately, remove once again and repeat one last time. This
aerates the chocolate which enhances the flavour.
In a mug, put about 1/2-3/4 of the chocolate mixture, and add cold
milk, until the temperature and/or the concentration of the flavour
is right for your tastes. Accompany with French Pastries. Yum
Yum!!
Enjoy!
5.- What happens when you overdose on caffeine?
From Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-3-R (American
Psychiatric Association, 1987):
Caffeine-Induced Organic Mental Disorder
305.90 Caffeine Intoxication
A. Recent consumption of caffeine, usually in excess of 250 mg.
B. At least five of the following signs:
(1) restlessness
(2) nervousness
(3) excitement
(4) insomnia
(5) flushed face
(6) diuresis
(7) gastrointestinal disturbance
(8) muscle twitching
(9) rambling flow of thought and speech
(10) tachycardia or cardiac arrythma
(11) periods of inexhauystability
(12) psychomotor agitation
C. Not due to any physical or other mental disorder, such as an
Anxiety Disorder.
Basicly, overdosing on caffein will probably be very very unpleasant
but not kill or deliver permanent damage. HOWEVER, People *do* die
from it.
summarized from the Manual:
TOXIC DOSE: The reported lethal dose is 10 grams, although one case
documents survival after ingesting 24 grams. In small children
ingestion of 35 mg/kg can lead to moderate toxicity. The amount
of caffeine in an average cup of coffee is 50 - 200 mg. Infants
metabolize caffeine very slowly.
SYMPTOMS: A. ACUTE caffeine poisoning gives Early symptoms of
anorexia, tremor, and restlessness. Followed by nausea,
vomitting, tachycardia, and Confusion. Serious intoxication may
cause delerium, seizures, supraventricular and ventricular
tachyarrhythmias, hypokalemia, and hyperglycemia. B. CHRONIC
high-dose caffeine intake can lead to nervousness, irritability,
anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching, insomnia, palpitations
and hyperreflexia.
For blood testing, cross-reaction with theophylline assays will
detect toxic amounts. (Method IA) Blood concentration of 1-10
mg/L is normal in coffee drinkers, while 80 mg/L has been
associated with death.
TREATMENT: A. EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Maintain the airway and assist ventilation. (See Appendix A)
2. Treat seizures & hypotension if they occur.
3. Hypokalemia usually goes away by itself.
4. Monitor Vital Signs.
B. SPECIFIC DRUGS & ANTIDOTES.
Beta blockers effectively reverse cardiotoxic effects mediated
by excessive beta-adrenergic stimulation. Treat hypotension or
tachyarrhythmias with intravenous propanolol, .01 - .02 mg/kg.
, or esmolol, .05 mg/kg , carefully titrated with low doses.
Esmolol is preferred because of its short half life and low
cardioselectivity.
C. DECONTAMINATION
1. Induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage.
2. Administer activated charcoal and cathartic.
3. Gut emptying is probably not needed if 1 & 2 are performed
promptly.
Appendix A, Performing airway assistance.
1. If no neck injury is suspected, place in the "Sniffing"
position by tilting the head back and extending the front of the
neck.
2. Apply the "Jaw Thrust" to move the tongue out of the way
without flexing the neck: Place fingers form both under the back
of the jaw and thrust the jaw forward so that the chin sticks
out. This should also hurt the patient, allowing you to judge
depth of coma. :)
3. Tilt the head to the side to allow vomit and snot to drain
out.
From conversations on alt.drugs.caffeine:
The toxic dose is going to vary from person to person, depending
primarily on built-up tolerance. A couple people report swalling 10
to 13 vivarin and ending up in the hospital with their stomachs
pumped, while a few say they've taken that many and barely stayed
awake.
A symptom lacking in the clinical manual but reported by at least
two people on the net is a loss of motor ability: unability to move,
speak, or even blink.
The experience is consistently described as very unpleasant and not
fun at all, even by those very familiar with caffeine nausea and
headaches.
6.- Chemically speaking, what is caffeine?
Caffein = 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
A search in CAS and produced these names and synonyms:
RN 58-08-2 REGISTRY
CN 1H-Purine-2,6-dione, 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (9CI) (CA INDEX
NAME)
OTHER CA INDEX NAMES:
CN Caffeine (8CI)
OTHER NAMES:
CN 1,3,7-Trimethyl-2,6-dioxopurine
CN 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
CN 7-Methyltheophylline
CN Alert-Pep
CN Cafeina
CN Caffein
CN Cafipel
CN Guaranine
CN Koffein
CN Mateina
CN Methyltheobromine
CN No-Doz
CN Refresh'n
CN Stim
CN Thein
CN Theine
CN Tri-Aqua
MF C8 H10 N4 O2
The _CORRECT_ name is the first one, 1H-Purine-2,6-diione,
3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (This is the "inverted name")
The "uninverted name" is
3,7-Dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione
Merck Index excerpt...
Caffeine: 3,7-dihydro- 1,3,7-trimethyl- 1H-purine- 2,6-dione;
1,3,7-trimethylxanthine; 1,3,7-trimethyl- 2,6-dioxopurine;
coffeine; thein; guaranine; methyltheobromine; No-Doz.
C8H10N4O2; mol wt 194.19. C 49.48%, H 5.19%, N 28.85%, O 16.48%.
Occurs in tea, coffee, mate leaves; also in guarana paste and cola
nuts: Shuman, U.S. pat. 2,508,545 (1950 to General Foods).
Obtained as a by-product from the manuf of caffeine-free coffee:
Barch, U.S. pat. 2,817,588 (1957 to Standard Brands); Nutting,
U.S. pat. 2,802,739 (1957 to Hill Bros. Coffee); Adler, Earle,
U.S. pat. 2,933,395 (1960 to General Foods).
Crystal structure: Sutor, Acta Cryst. 11, 453, (1958). Synthesis:
Fischer, Ach, Ber. 28, 2473, 3135 (1895); Gepner, Kreps, J. Gen.
Chem. USSR 16, 179 (1946); Bredereck et al., Ber. 83, 201 (1950);
Crippa, Crippa, Farmaco Ed. Sci. 10, 616 (1955); Swidinsky, Baizer,
U.S. pats. 2,785,162 and 2,785,163 (1957 to Quinine Chem. Works);
Bredereck, Gotsmann, Ber. 95, 1902 (1962).
Hexagonal prisms by sublimation, mp 238 C. Sublimes 178 C. Fast
sublimation is obtained at 160-165 C under 1mm press. at 5 mm
distance. d 1.23. Kb at 19 C: 0.7 x 10^(-14). Ka at 25 C: <1.0 x
10^(-14). pH of 1% soln 6.9. Aq solns of caffeine salts dissociate
quickly. Absorption spectrum: Hartley, J. Chem. Soc. 87, 1802
(1905). One gram dissolves in 46 ml water, 5.5 ml water at 80 C,
1.5 ml boiling water, 66 ml alcohol, 22 ml alcohol at 60 C, 50 ml
acetone, 5.5 ml chloroform, 530 ml ether, 100 ml benzene, 22 ml
boiling benzene. Freely sol in pyrrole; in tetrahydrofuran contg
about 4% water; also sol in ethyl acetate; slightly in petr ether.
Soly in water is increased by alkali benzoates, cinnamates,
citrates, or salicylates.
Monohydrate, felted needles, contg 8.5% H2O. Efflorescent in air;
complete dehydration takes place at 80 C. LD50 orally in rats: 200
mg/kg.
Acetate, C8H10N4O2.(CH3COOH)2, granules or powder; acetic acid odor;
acid reaction. Loses acetic acid on exposure to air. Soluble in
water or alcohol with hydrolysis into caffeine and acetic acid.
Keep well stoppered.
Hydrochloride dihydrate, C8H10N4O2.HCl.2H2O, crystals, dec 80-100 C
with loss of water and HCl. Sol in water and in alcohol with dec.
Therap Cat: Central stimulant.
Therap Cat (Vet): Has been used as a cardiac and
respiratory stimulant and as a diuretic.
7.- Is it true that tea has no caffeine/What is teine, theobromine,
etc?
From "Principles of biochemestry", Horton and al, 1993.
Caffeine is sometimes called "theine" when it's in tea. This is
probably due to an ancient misconception that the active
constituent is different. Theophylline is present only in trace
amounts. It is more diuretic, more toxic and less speedy.
Caffeine: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
Theophylline: 1,3-dimethylxanthine
Theobromine: 3,7-dimethylxanthine
Coffee and tea contain caffeine and theophylline, respectively,
which are me thylated purine derivatives that inhibit cAMP
phosphodiesterase.In the presence of these inhibitors, the effects
of cAMP, and thus the stimulatory effects of the hormones that lead
to its production, are prolonged and intensified.
Theobromine and theophylline are two dimethyxanthines that have two
rather than three methyl groups. Theobromine is considerably weaker
than caffeine and theophylline, having about one tenth the
stimulating effect of either.
Theobromine is found in cocoa products, tea (only in very small
amounts) and kola nuts, but is not found in coffee. In cocoa, its
concentration is generally about 7 times as great as caffeine.
Although, caffeine is realtively scarce in cocoa, its mainly because
of theobromine that cocoa is "stimulating"
Theophylline is found in very small amounts in tea, but has a
stronger effect on the heart and breathing than caffeine. It often
the drug of choice in treating asthma bronchitus and emphysema. The
theophylline foundin medicine is made from extracts from coffee or
tea.
8.- Where can I find a gif of the caffeine molecule?
Caffein = 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
CH3
|
N
/ \
N----C C==O
|| || |
|| || |
CH C N--CH3
\ / \ /
N C
| ||
CH3 O
There is a gif picture at the wuarchive.wustl.edu ftp site or any of
its mirror sites under
multimedia/images/gif/c
caffeine
9.- How to make the best cup of coffee?
The best coffee I ever tasted was while in the coffee growing
regions of Mexico, in the state of Veracruz, in the town of
Coatepec.
The quality of the coffee was mostly due to the method of
preparation than to the quality of the grains (which is at about the
same level as an average colombian coffee).
Here's how to make it:
Grind the coffee grains from coarse to _very_coarse_.
Boil in a _pan_ a litre of water (four cups).
When the water is boiling, turn off the stove and add 8-12
table spoons of coffee (2-3 spoons per each cup).
Add two-three teaspoons of sugar per cup (for a total of 8-12
spoons of sugar).
Stir _very_ slowly (the water is so hot that the sugar dissolves
mostly on its own).
Let the coffee rest for about 5 minutes.
Strain the coffee using a _metal_strainer_! Like the ones used
for cooking. The strainer should be like the ones used by granny
for making tea. The diameter is a bit smaller that a cup,
with a semi-sphere shape.
This coffee has grit in the bottom, even after being strained.
Therefore DO NOT stir the pot or the cup. If the coffee is shaked,
let it rest for about five minutes. Needless to say, do not
drink the last sip of coffee from the cup: it's all grit.
If you want to add milk, add carnation.
WARNING: This coffee may fool you 'cause it has a very smooth taste
but is extremely strong. Caffeine content per mililitre is right
there with espresso, but you can't tell!
NOTE: For some strange reason, when preparing this coffee I tend to
have a success ratio of about one out of two attempts. I still
don't know what I'm doing wrong, since, as far as I can tell, always
repeat the same steps. Perhaps sometimes I don't let the coffee
rest long enough.
10.- How do you pronounce mate?
MAH-teh. MAH like in malt, and teh like in Gral. Patten.
12.- What is the best temperature for drip coffee?
According to chemical studies, the optimal water temperature
for drip coffee is 95-98C. According to my notes, colder
water doesn't extract enough caffeine/essential oils from
the beans, and above such temperature the acidity increases
wildly.
13.- Proper care of coffee makers.
It is very important that you wash your coffee maker pot and filter
container thorughly at least once a week. Bitter oils stick to the
glass container and plastic filter holder.
I used to wash the platic filter container and rinse the glass pot.
Coffee started to taste bad. When I was told to wash both thoroughly
with plenty of soap the flavour improved instantly. Note: To the
naked eye rinsed and soap washed pots look the same (clean that is).
14.- This FAQ is a collective effort. Here are some of the people
who have contributed:
Marc Aurel <4-tea-2@bong.saar.de>
Tom Benjamin
David Alan Bozak
Jack Carter
Richard Drapeau
Jym Dyer
Lemieux Francois
Dave Huddle
Tom F Karlsson
Bob Kummerfeld
John Levine
Alex Lopez-Ortiz
Dave Palmer
Cary A. Sandvig
Michael A Smith
Mari J. Stoddard
Orion Wilson
15.- Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 1993 A. Lopez-Ortiz
OAKLAND, California (UPI) -- Coffee may be good for life. A
major study has found fewer suicides among coffee drinkers than
those who abstained from the hot black brew.
The study of nearly 130,000 Northern California residents
and the records of 4,500 who have died looked at the effects of
coffee and tea on mortality.
Cardiologist Arthur Klatsky said of the surprising results,
``This is not a fluke finding because our study was very large,
involved a multiracial population, men, women, and examined closely
numerous factors related to mortality such as alcohol consumption
and smoking.''
The unique survey also found no link between coffee
consumption and death risk. And it confirmed a ``weak'' connection
of coffee or tea to heart attack risk -- but not to other
cardiovascular conditions such as stroke.
The study was conducted by the health maintenance
organization Kaiser Permanente and was reported Wednesday in the
Annals of Epidemiology.
--
Alex Lopez-Ortiz alopez-o@neumann.UWaterloo.ca
Department of Computer Science University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario Canada