Caffeine buzz

Vegetarian Times, Nov, 2002

The caffeine that gets into your bloodstream can take its toll on your mind and body until bedtime--and for years to come, according to a study conducted by Duke University Medical Center and reported in the July/August 2002 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. "The caffeine we drink enhances the effects of the stresses we experience, so if we have a stressful job, drinking coffee makes our bodies respond more to the ordinary stresses we experience," says James D.

Lane, PhD, associate research professor at Duke's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the study's lead author. "The combination of stress and caffeine has a multiplying or synergistically negative effect." The study also found that eliminating coffee and other caffeinated drinks from your diet "could be a way to decrease blood pressure and other stress reactions." Over a long period, caffeine consumption can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. In layman's terms: Buzz off.