Caffeine & Coffee / Caffeine	Navigate This Article All About Caffeine Caffeine Studies
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Cancer

The connection between coffee and cancer was seared into the American health psyche in 1981, when a study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine concluded that "coffee use might account for a substantial proportion of the cases of [pancreatic cancer] in the United States."

But most studies since then have come up empty.

"Coffee is not likely to be causing pancreatic cancer," concludes Debra Silverman, an epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. "Smoking is clearly a risk factor, and once you take that into account, most studies show that coffee drinking doesn't seem to be associated with an increased risk."

As for cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, lung, or prostate, "there's no good evidence that coffee has any role in their development," says John Welsburger of the American Health Foundation.

Products Ranked by Amount of Caffeine

* = Average caffeine levels for popular beverages, foods, and drugs (rounded to the nearest 5 milligrams.)
** = typical value

• Caffeine is similar in structure to adenosine, a chemical found in the brain that slows down its activity. Since the two compete, the more caffeine you drink, the less adenosine is available up to a point. That's why caffeine temporarily heightens concentration and wards off fatigue.

• Within 30 to 60 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee, caffeine reaches peak concentrations in the bloodstream. It typically takes four to six hours for its effects to wear off.

• Smokers remove caffeine from their blood twice as fast as nonsmokers. That may be why smokers tend to drink more coffee.

• The average American adult consumes about 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day, and the top ten percent consume an average of 400 mg, according to John J. Barone, who tracks caffeine consumption at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta.

• As little as 200 mg of caffeine is enough to make some people feel nervous and anxious. It might take even less for cola-guzzling kids.

• The typical American drinks about two cups of coffee a day. In 1962, when coffee consumption hit its peak, three cups was typical.

• Coffee accounts for about ¾ of the caffeine we consume. Tea makes up about 15 percent, soft drinks about ten percent, and chocolate about two percent.

Caffeine Content of Food & Drug

1 - Serving sizes are based on commonly eaten portions, pharmaceutical instructions, or the amount of the leading-selling container size. For example, beverages sold in 16-ounce or half-liter bottles were counted as one serving.

2 - Sources: National Coffee Association, National Soft Drink Association, Tea Council of the USA, and information provided by food, beverage, and pharmaceutical companies and J.J. Barone, H.R. Roberts (1996) "Caffeine Consumption." Food Chemistry and Toxicology, vol. 34, pp. 119-129.