Coffee Has No Energizing Effect on You

Craving for the morning coffee to boost up your energy?

That may be only in your mind and you should sleep more, as a new research at University of Bristol pointed out that morning latte or espresso may not be the so-much-appreciated pick-me-up.

The caffeine eases withdrawal symptoms which accumulate overnight, but does not make people more alert than they normally are.

The research revealed that only people who do not regularly drink coffee will get a push-up from caffeine, while the British Coffee Association insists that regular drinkers did feel more alert.

Regular drinkers of coffee swear that their morning caffeine fixes them up, and in case they don't take it, they feel without energies and have less efficiency.

But the Bristol's research team made an extensive review of previous studies into the effects of caffeine and found that, in fact, the drink counteracts the mild caffeine withdrawal symptoms in people because they have gone without the stimulant overnight.

Also, a first caffeine intake did not make the individuals more alert than those who do not drink coffee. "We do feel a boost from caffeine in the morning, but that's probably due to a reversal of the withdrawal symptoms. That alertness you feel is you getting back to normal, rather than to an above normal level. That morning boost is what people think is useful about caffeine, but if that doesn't happen, maybe it's not that useful after all. Caffeine did have some benefits, such as preventing cognitive decline in the elderly", said lead researcher Professor Peter Rogers, a biological psychologist.

He advocates for decaffeinated drinks. "If you're not a regular consumer, you might get something out of one or two drinks. But once you're a regular consumer, you're in a cycle of withdrawal reversal."

"There are two sides to the debate and a wealth of scientific evidence suggests that moderate coffee consumption of four to five cups per day is perfectly safe for the general population and does have a beneficial effect on alertness and performance even in regular coffee drinkers", said Zoe Wheeldon of the British Coffee Association.