Does coffee really pick us up?: Image credit: http://www.anthonyulinski.comThe BBC had a story a few days ago that caught my eye. Seems that University of Bristol researchers have found that regular drinkers of coffee do not get a boost from the drink when they wake up. However, the research presented to the British Nutrition Foundation does suggest that one or two cups could have some benefit if you are an irregular consumer of caffeine.

As a life-long coffee drinker (and I do mean life-long, I think I had my first cup when I was 5 years old) this flies in the face of common sense. I know I get a boost from my morning (and afternoon, and sometimes evening) coffee and may the Flying Spaghetti Monster help anyone who gets in the way of me and my precious coffee!

Not so says biological psychologist Peter Rogers who lead the research:

"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."

Fortunately, I have Zoe Wheeldon of the British Coffee Association on my side (and helpfully affirming my bias):

"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."

You tell those mean research scientists Zoe!

Well, whether coffee really does help make us more alert in the morning or it's just me getting my sweet, sweet caffeine fix I don't see this study changing my java drinking habits or anyone else's for that matter. As with many drugs, coffee is as much about the social factor as it is the actual buzz or high. And the fact of the matter is that unless society itself undergoes wholesale change then people are going to continue to use drugs no matter what anyone says. So it's important to study drugs and drug use regardless of what lawmakers or religious groups might think about the morality of drug use. Who knows? We might just learn something.

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