Coffee is Addictive 569
zpok writes "According to scientists, coffee is really addictive, which I guess must mean they'll come in and confiscate your latte any moment now..." Can't wait for the study proving sugar is sweet.
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Coffee is Addictive
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Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously... is there ANYONE in ANY part of this country anymore that just takes a little bit of responsibility for their own goddamn actions? The idea that the effects of drinking a cup of coffee could even be considered being classified as a "disease" is absolutely ludicrous.
People are so pathetic these days. I think the only disease involved in all this "you're not an irresponsible jackass, you just need medical help!" attitude is an acute affliction of stupid.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Interesting)
So I've been wondering if this is more a cultural expectation thing. In Britain it just doesn't seem to be discussed in the same way -- I've known people (including myself) complain of caffeine withdrawal symptoms -- evil headaches and suchlike -- but almost never about any "hyper" effects of over-consumption of caffeine.
Yet often American sitcoms will refer to coffee in reference to making people hyper, to the point where you'd think that half an espresso is meant to send you crazy. Or maybe it's genetic differences between the populations that mean that caffeine has different effects in the two countries?
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Informative)
As a former *$ barista and manager I know form where I speak. They spend a lot of time on coffee education if you are willing to listen.
If you want a better 'buzz' go with a lighter roast coffee. Darker roasts like French have been toasted longer to produce a deeper flavor but loose some of the caffiene in the process. The same is true for using an espresso roast for drip coffee. It makes a mean cup of coffee but sure has less caffeine than a cinniamon roast you will find in cheap 'over the counter' coffees in the supermarket.
Perhpas the biggest misconception is that multiple shots of espresso will really light you up. Wrong. All you are getting is a very concentrated flavor not a super boost of caffiene. That is cuz by the time it gets in to your latte the beans have been deeply roasted (to an espresso roast) and then 'super brewed' (as compared to traditional drip coffee)in the espresso maker. So if you are thinking that the quad shot Americano (espresso and water) you get to impress you buddies is some superdrink then just put on a dress and change you name to Sally. That is about as far removed from the 'manly' coffee my dad drank in the navy that you can get and still call it the same drink.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
Ignoring all that and moving on to your, 'to be a man have a light roast' some of us like a darker roasted coffee, and actually like espresso. If your drinking a coffee to impress people, your going to be a dick no matter what level of roast you drink.
All the previous is anecdotal evidence, but I do have extensive experience with many different types of coffee's, I go for taste, and while I do often prefer a stronger, darker roast I try all sorts of different ones. its nice that one beverage has so many different subtleties that change the experience just a little each time.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Insightful)
And don't forget the Starbucks "cremate the coffee beans and then glue the ash back together into a bean-shaped lump" method of roasting.
It's pathetic that Starbuck's ubiquitousness has convinced most americans that that's the way coffee is supposed to be.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Informative)
Not a misconception: a fact. If the espresso isn't pepping me up, what is? The demi-mug?
All you are getting is a very concentrated flavor not a super boost of caffiene. That is cuz by the time it gets in to your latte the beans have been deeply roasted (to an espresso roast) and then 'super brewed' (as compared to traditional drip coffee)in the espresso maker.
This flies in the face of a chemical experiment I did in organic lab. We STEAM EXTRACTED caffeine from some coffee grounds. You wouldn't believe the volume of crystals that precipitated from solution. "Super brewing", by which I take it you mean steam extraction, does an excellent job of pulling caffeine from the grounds.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Informative)
I've heard this common misconception that espresso doesn't have very much caffeine repeatedly, even from those I would expect to know better. Can you point me to some supporting evidence that espresso isn't high in caffeine?
According to the Coffee Faq [coffeefaq.com], a 7 oz serving of drip coffee has 115-175 mg of caffeine, while a 1.5-2 oz. shot of espresso has about 100 mg. So while drip coffee may indeed have more caffeine per serving than espresso (and that's if your "serving" is a single shot), espresso has dramatically more caffeine per volume.
In fact, if we average the ranges given above, a 7 oz. serving of drip coffee has (115 + 175) / 2 = 145 mg, or (145/7) 21 mg per onuce.
A 1.75 oz. shot espresso would have 100 mg, or (100 / 1.75 ) 57 mg per ounce.
That means that, on average, espresso will have about three times as much caffeine per volume as drip coffee per volume.
If you're in a hurry and want lots of caffeine, a quad-shot Americano would in fact be essentially straight caffeine: 1.75 oz X 4 = 7 oz. of espesso. That doesn't leave much room for the water, does it? And it'll pack a punch of 400 mg of caffeine.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Funny)
While it isn't as strong as a 4-cup equivalent of "normal" coffee, a quad-shot espresso still has enough caffeine to give you a decent buzz. (Yes, I have done the comparison :-)
Gah - "Navy coffee"! If this is the same stuff that one of my coworkers prepared and called Navy coffee - about 6 times the recommended amount of "Folgers" (or whatever cheapie instant equivalent was available), and allowed to boil down on the heating plate for 3-4 hours before consumption. (Apparently this "cooking" time was important to make sure that all of the essential coffee-flavoring oils were made rancid.) I guess you could call it manly - I called it a substitute wood stainer.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:3, Funny)
Isn't it rather chilly eating in the freezer?
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Funny)
Do you have a walk-in, or do you just curl up?
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
I think a big part of it is the amount people consume. I drink (on average) a few cans/bottles of coke a day, so I've become accustomed to the caffeine enough that it barely affects me. *Not* having it, however, ends up sucking.
I have friends whose caffeine intake is minimal (if at all) in a normal day, so a single can of pop or a cup of coffee can keep them up for hours. It's all relative tolerance, like a lot of other drugs out there.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:3, Interesting)
The "hyper" effects of caffeine are more like an on edge jittery feeling. Probably some people are a lot more susceptable to it than others. I used to drink espresso's and have a few s
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
I live in the states... I think the anti-drug message that has been beaten into peoples brains, makes them eager to feel effects of a drug. Mild mannered old ladies will still love to kid about how the anesthetic at the dentist made them feel. To anyone who has a decent first-hand understanding of how drugs work, it's not a big deal, but to someone with less experience, they might get a cup of coffee from starbucks and start on with their "I CAN HEAR COLORS" rant.
Much of this same behavior can be observed in children. They'll take a sip of dad's beer or whatever, and start acting drunk.
...I hope that made sense. In any case, caffiene definately does have noticeable stimulant effects. I don't notice it from sodas. I do notice it from tea but it's very gradual. If you want to see what I'm talking about, cut off your intake for a few days, then drink a double shot of espresso straight. I still don't get hyper, but I definately get some stimulant effects... Can't sit still for long, feel wide eyed and awake, etc... About like a bump or two of coke would do.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:3, Informative)
He took a fortnight out from all caffeine, pop, coffee, tea, pro-plus and all the rest. He made sure that he was totally caffeine free for the whole 14 days, then at the end of it he popped two pro-plus (caffeine tablets) and washed them down with a litre can of Coke. He said it was better than amphetamine, and legal to boot.
I should point out that we are UK residents, and having a cup of coffee is a 30 minut
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Funny)
Just *slurp* watch me.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Funny)
That man is addicted to giving blowjobs.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
One can hardly claim that observing (and labelling) the fact that people are sad when a loved one dies is intended to absolve them of responsibility for their actions.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't want a stop to the research and classification of various mental states. I want the psychological/psychiatric community to sit down and create some real standards for treatment, including some strict ethics and punishments for their violation. If a physician started prescribing morphine for stubbed toes, he'd run the risk of losing his license (we'll worry about the chronic problem of prescribing antibiotics for viral illnesses later), he'd lose his license, while the shrink community hasn't even gotten around to saying "it's something we should maybe consider not doing, we think."
Or worse yet, we still have Freudian analysts getting licensed and offering their "treatment." This would be like if the AMA licensed doctors who practised the purging of various bodily humors in order to restore their balance.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
The real beauty of the system is that many of these classifications are specious at best and often vague to the point of being useless. Even better there's little evidence to indicate that most forms of therapy are in any way effective at treating the problem (real or imagined), so you can treat patients for YEARS - and then blame it on the patient if the treatment doesn't work.
There's a whole lot of snake oil on the counseling side of psychology, and no lack of salesment to sell it.
Max
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:3, Informative)
I have some personal experience here. A number of years ago, my wife made me go in for counseling because I was seriously depressed. Clinically, it turns out, and after participating in individual and group therapies for 6 or
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Insightful)
Clarification: pop-sci-med idiots who gradutated from med school because they want to rake brittle people over the coals and steal their money will immediately lunge at the opportunity to begin counseling people for "caffieneism" or something. The drug companies will pop up with "drugs" that do absolutely nothing but claim they cure this "problem". There will be advertisements showing how horribly, horribly messed up the caffeine addict's life is and the little bouncing face will bound out into the daylight after dutifully downing the most recent discovery of Dow chemicals (yes, that alliteration was quite intentional).
I think the only reason this hasn't happened for alcoholics is that the risk of being sued into the next millenium is to great when people realize the drugs don't do anything except cause new problems.
The Coffee made me do it. (Score:5, Funny)
What it does meen is I now have a legal basis for beating the cr@p out of the Starbucks clerk when he doesn't understand I just want plain black coffee.
It's worse here in Israel, where the idea of coffee is synonymous with milk. Every time I go somewhere for coffee it's a 5 minuet ordeal, that I am not caffinated enough to deal with.
"Caffe, Shovar, ein Chalav, ein sukar" (Translation: Coffee, black. No milk, no Sugar)
"Espresso".
"Lo Nescafe",(Trans: no instant.)
"Ah Nescafe Latte" (Trans: Oh, you must be wrong, and want Instant coffee mixed with steamed milk)
"LO! Nescafe, im maim cham. Ze Oh." (Trans: No you freaking moron. Put instant coffee in hot water, nothing else!)
"Maim? oh Chalav?" (Trans: No one actually drinks coffee like that here. You want it with milk)
"Look I'm a f@#$ing American. My hebrew sucks, and I know you speak 3 d@#$ languages so you can understand this. All I want is caffine in water. No milk, I'm lactose intolerant. No suggar I'm a diabetic. So unless you want me farting while I'm going through sugar shock on your floor, PUT INSTANT COFFEE IN HOT WATTER AND LET ME PAY YOU FOR IT!!"
Ah... I feel better now.
At least they offer real milk (Score:5, Funny)
I live in "God's Country" (place your finger in the middle of the U.S. -- that's about where I am) and I have the opposite problem -- nobody has cream here.
Now, I started drinking coffee in the Italian area of Boston. I can't stand not having cream in my coffee. And out here, I'm literally surrounded by cows, but everyone insists on putting this "Creamer" stuff in their coffee. Creamer can be left open, in a warm room, for months and not go bad. It's simply not from this earth.
These fat slobs (some of the fattest in the nation!) would super-size their ASPIRIN if they had the chance, but "oh no, cream is too filling!" Gah!
And naturally nobody has ever heard of SUGAR. No, it's all artificial, carcinogenic "sweeteners". Most of the people just drink Foldgers instant-coffee, anyway. Mixed to half-strength.
If you're ever in the Mid-West, just remember that "coffee" means "slightly brown-tinted water with artifical sweeteners and fake milk."
Oh, sorry. (Score:5, Funny)
Sorry, what I meant to say was, "Goddamn fuckin' mutha-fuckah's!"
And there goes my karma.
Re:At least they offer real milk (Score:3, Informative)
Re:The Coffee made me do it. (Score:5, Informative)
Israel is a multi-cultural country made up of many different people or varying origins; we have the coffee cultures to prove it. Here are the main ones:
- The Eastern/Arabic coffee culture. Turkish/Greek coffee [wikipedia.org] mostly, which is what people here assume you mean when you say black coffee. It can be served with many different spices, and is probably the most popular coffee brew in Israel, mostly with the working class. The "Ma and Pap" (e.g. "Pitzutziot") and 7-11 style shops sell these, which are rarely found in corporate coffee chains. "American black coffee" [wikipedia.org] is simply instant or filter coffee, with no milk - which is something almost no one here drinks.
- The Italian coffee culture. It was actually introduced by corporate coffee chains similiar to Starbuck's (the local Aroma and Arcafe chains). The main drinks served there are the standard Espresso [wikipedia.org], Cappucino [wikipedia.org], and Latté [wikipedia.org]. A favourite with women is Iced Coffee [wikipedia.org]. These brews are mostly popular with the high-tech and academic crowds. An interesting fact is that the "Americano" [wikipedia.org] type of coffee isn't sold here, as far as I know. We have short (1:1 water to coffee ratio), long (2:1) and double (2:2) Espresso servings.
- American/Western coffee culture (instant coffee [wikipedia.org]). This is mostly popular here with people who like the weaker coffee types (and sometimes teens). It's the most accessible brew (primarily to small business who don't have coffee machines), but rarely found in the corporate coffee chains. Most offices in Israel offer instant coffee to the workers instead of the American filter coffee [wikipedia.org] (or drip brew) machine - which is next to non-existant in Israel. Like I said before - this is rarely drank in the style of "American black coffee". Usually it is served as "2 sugar, with milk".
Oh, by the way, "Shovar" actually means voucher, not black. Next time try:"Ca-feh, Na-meh-s, bli khalav, bli sookar." (Translation: Coffee, instant. No milk, no sugar)
Good luck and have a pleasant time in our insane little country :)
Mental disorders are classifications (Score:5, Informative)
n.
Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease, mental disorder.
This is all a mental disorder is. It does not assign blame. Caffeine withdrawal exhibits certain predictable symptoms affecting the normal order of a person's mind, and as such it makes sense to classify it as what it is, a disorder. The word "disorder" just means things are mentally messed up; it does not imply the person was "born" with caffeine withdrawal or blameless for having this disorder, anymore than a psychopath is granted amnesty just because they have antisocial personality disorder.
Re:Mental disorders are classifications (Score:4, Funny)
n.
Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors...
So zits can now be considered a mental illness?
Re:Mental disorders are classifications (Score:3, Interesting)
Next time the definition of 'mental illness' is updated, don't be surprised if it looks like this:
Mental illness: n.
Anything.
Eventually, no one will be held responsible for anything
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:3, Funny)
Explaining and determining how you came to act in a particular way IS taking responsibility for your actions.
I think the only disease involved in all this "you're not an irresponsible jackass, you just need medical help!" attitude is an acute affliction of stupid.
You think it stupid that people examine and analyze situations instead of just belting out bold and
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Insightful)
Drugs which are truly addictive are those which strongly affect the reward mechanisms in the brain, such as opiates, cocaine, and amphetamines. Of these, only the opiates produce a severe physical withdrawl syndrome. If overcoming the physical symptoms of withdrawl were the only problem, then we would have no heroin addicts. The solution would simply be to lock them away for a few weeks until the withdrawl sickness subsided, and after that they would have to be a fool to return to using the drug. Of course many addicts do return to using so there must be some other reason than preventing withdrawl symptoms.
Truly addictive substances like cocaine and heroin affect the brain's reward mechanisms so strongly that they can subvert these mechanisms to the point where they can become not just a desire but a drive. At that point suggesting a person quit using the drug is like suggesting he stop eating or drinking or having sex. The body simply will not allow it. In fact the reward the brain receives from drug use is so strong that it tends to trump all other drives so that a person will worry more about where his next fix is coming from than his next meal. A person in this state really does have very little control over his actions. True, he had a choice of whether or not to use the drug in the first place, and he is responsible for that poor decision, but in a state of addiction, his body's needs are in control. That is why it makes sense to restrict the use of such substances; they do, in a very real sense, take away an individual's responsiblility for his actions.
Animal studies show that animals will self-administer cocaine and heroin with enthusiasm. In fact they will do so to the exclusion of all other activities, including eating, drinking, and sex. When given the choice between cocaine and food, cocaine wins. They will stick with the cocaine lever until they starve. If allowed to, many will administer the drugs until the point of death. In contrast, it is difficult to get an animal to self-administer caffeine at all. Same goes for nicotine by the way. Animals do not even show a preference for caffeine laced sugar water over plain sugar water. Indeed, in double-blind studies, not many human subjects show a preference for caffeine over a placebo.
The word addiction is primarily a political term. The negative image of crack and heroin addicts is so strongly ingrained in peoples' heads that any group seeking to discourage use of a substance can only help their cause by finding some evidence that it is "addictive", but such usage, when it describes only physical withdrawl symptoms, especially very minor ones like the caffeine studies show, completely misrepresents the facts. People keep drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes because they like to. Junkies and crackheads keep using because they have to. It's not the same thing.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
Every stimulant, whether it be caffeine or methamphetamines, carries many of the same negative side effects. The results of consuming a stimulant compound are mostly a matter of scale. I guarantee if you consumed enough caffeine that your scalp would crawl and your heart would race and, if you continued to pound it down, you'd OD. Caffeine is never (?) served in such a concentration that such a thing becomes a serious risk but I've eaten enough chocolate-covered espresso beans to start sweating profusely and to be utterly unable to hold still. One imagines that someone with a weak ticker who chugged mountain dew while eating the aforementioned confection could keel right the fuck over and become an ex-human.
Many people DO consume too much coffee, and it keeps them up sweating at night, causes them to be jittery, and in general decreases their quality of life. However, on days when they skip their coffee, or even significantly cut back the dosage, they get headaches and turn into their Mr. Hyde equivalent. You know, kind of like the other legal stimulant you can buy at the gas station: cigarettes. Interestingly cigarettes also contain compounds which promote health, but I don't see too many people arguing that cigarettes are healthy. Guess what? Neither is drinking a whole bunch of coffee.
I agree that alcohol is far more insidious than coffee but don't pretend that there is a gigantic difference between them, other than the fact that one's a stimulant and the other's a depressant.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
For a person to get to a high, constant level of drinking, is an act of great irresponbility and foolishness, a wrongdoing against oneself and everyone around.
Having gotten there, the enormous physiological difficulty in stopping, appears to be a bona fide disease.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
It's easy for the latter to judge the former, but that doesn't mean the condition is any less real.
It's like those that aren't succeptable to depression judging those that are, and telling them to just "shake it off" or "snap out of it".
That attitude shows a clear lack of understanding.
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Funny)
These, I assume, are the people with a problem! Where I come from, that's called sacrilege!
Re:Irresponsibility (Score:4, Interesting)
I've never had a drop of alcohol in my life, and never plan to.
But I can look at my signifigant sweet tooth and other behaviors and know that were I to ever take a single drink, I would be an alcoholic. I have no doubt of that.
That same predisposition to "isms", does indeed affect my consumption of everything from caffiene to swedish fish (and other carbs).
The irony to this is that I have a healthy dosage of self-control and discipline. But in these areas the "ism" kicks in. Therefore, I'll never take a single sip of alcohol or a single drag on a cigarette (my common sense can keep me from both anyway).
So is alcohol (Score:3, Insightful)
Course the failed War on Drugs should be canned, all drugs should be legalised, taxed and the cash used for rehabilitation services.
Re:So is alcohol (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously... Think about this. Druggies have already proved they'll pay just about any price to feed their habit. So, if you leagalize it, you reduce the cost of getting the drugs here, and selling them (black market goes away...). So, lets say the markup on your tyipcal drug [lp.org] is 17,000% from the black market. What should the markup be if the drugs where legal? Lets just say 500%, for arguments sake.
The government could charge a 100% tax on the profit, and the end user would only see a markup of about 1000% (17 times less than the current markup, for those who suck at math).
So, the druggies win (cheaper drugs). And the government wins (more taxes, less money spent on the worthless drug war). And the tax payer wins, provided the shills we elect don't siphon off all these extra funds into some type of 'special account'...
That, and I think people would be happier :D
And there's less crime (Score:4, Insightful)
The War on Drugs funds Terrorists (Score:5, Insightful)
...sorry, just had to say it. Prohibition funds organized crime of all sorts.
Re:The War on Drugs funds Terrorists (Score:4, Interesting)
This of course leads to increased local crime as junkies are forced to steal to support their habit, and gang wars as local dealers protect their turf.
Legalise drugs, and these problems will largely go away. Plus the effects in society can then be handled the same way as alcohol problems (including application of DWI/DUI laws for the safety of others), without needlessly ruining lives, as prosecution for victimless crimes now often does.
Furthermore, if legalized, regulated, and taxed in the same way cigarettes and alcohol are, that's a HUGE tax base just waiting to be used, that would not negatively impact anyone other than those who actually use the product. And it might slow the increases on other taxes (such as sales, income, and property taxes) that DO impact everyone.
Not to mention the positive public health impacts: no more need to share dirty equipment, better quality control so fewer adverse reactions/side effects, etc.
[/rant]
Re:So is alcohol (Score:5, Funny)
Have you been to an AA meeting?
Obvious.... (Score:2)
Re:Obvious.... (Score:2)
Hey! (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, don't steal my dissertation ideas! Some of us have put a lot of thought into that.
Re:Hey! (Score:3, Funny)
Before people moan... (Score:5, Interesting)
heh (Score:4, Funny)
Re:heh (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:heh (Score:2)
Re:An important distiinction (Score:3, Informative)
While I agree that withdrawal from opiates is not as physically dangerous as withdrawl from certain classes of anti-depressants, which you quite rightly point can be life-threatening, i
RE: -10 insight-less! (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, sugar is hardly the problem with obesity in America. The problem is primarily one of poor eating habits, coupled with lack of exercise. (Not that anecdotes prove anything, but just to pull out one random example; I used to know a gal who was a strict vegetarian, and I *never* once saw her eat a piece of candy or "junk food" - yet she was overweight.)
If you consume more calories than you use, you gain weight. It's really that simple. It doesn't matter if those calories come in the form of sugar or "healthy foods". If you're eating more than you're burning off - you'll eventually get fat.
If sugary foods are contributing to the obesity problem, it's only in a more indirect way. (Snack foods tend to be "ready to eat" and conveniently packaged. When you can just grab it, unwrap it, and stuff it in your mouth - you're more likely to do so often, hence increasing your overall intake of calories.)
Re: -10 insight-less! (Score:5, Insightful)
Sugar is a serious part of the obesity problem in America. It's not the whole thing - our eating habits are the real problem. Regardless, sugar is a carbohydrate and when your body is functioning "normally" your body will store unused carbohydrates as fat, barring those which are expelled from the body as waste.
Put simply, most americans have been relegated to eating prepackaged foods. Who makes their own spaghetti sauce any more, for example? I know several of you out there are jumping up and down in your chair saying "me! me! ima post and tell this fucker off!" but the fact is that you are statistically insignificant. But spaghetti sauce is loaded with excess sugar and so is just about everything else we eat. Even hot dogs tend to have a ton of sugar added to them - someone please explain to me why little fine-ground sausages need sugar.
Well, actually, don't explain it, because I know the answer: they don't need sugar but focus groups, taste tests, and other forms of research have shown that we like to eat food with sugar added to it. So, the food industry in America (and other places) adds a grip of sugar to just about everything, including many foods that ordinarily wouldn't contain any.
In short, everything you eat is sugary unless you make it yourself. This IS a serious problem and it IS totally unnecessary.
The problem really goes beyond sugar though, which after all is just a carbohydrate. No matter how you feel about no- or low-carb diets like atkins (which is just a new name on an old diet, which can be referred to as a low-carb modified fast) the fact is that we eat too many carbohydrates. As early as the 1700s you can find literary examples with people making observations that people who eat a lot of starch are fatter on average than people who eat a lot of meat. You can find carbohydrate-based fillers in just about everything on the store shelves; anything that doesn't have carb-based fillers is probably primarily a carbohydrate to begin with, like bread. The USDA food pyramid, promoted by the NIH after several billion dollars were spent trying to prove that eating fat makes you fat and failing, yet promoted on the "strength" of a study which showed that taking drugs to reduce your cholesterol decreased your risk of heart disease, suggests that we eat more carbohydrates than anything else. This is not only totally unnecessary (your body can quite efficiently derive energy from fats, it just doesn't do it as quickly) but completely ridiculous and utterly unfounded.
I don't know how you got a +4, Insightful for saying that sugar isn't a big problem, because it is. It's only a part of the problem, but the aggressive promotion of sugar-laden foods in the US is a big part of why we're fat. C&H sugar will happily tell you via a message printed on the packaging that SUGAR CONTAINS NO FAT. Well, whoop-de-do, it still makes you fat.
Come down off your high horse, which is headed in the wrong direction anyway, and join the parade.
Re:Sigh.... Another Atkins Cultist (Score:3, Interesting)
1. Genetics: I haven't seen very many fat Asian-Americans either.
2. Rice isn't as important as you think. It's a staple of Asian meals, but they don't eat a big plate of rice and a little bit of meat and vegetables on the side. Rice is always there, but it's not the primary component of the meal. You're always eating plenty of meats and vegetables to go along with it.
3. Portions. Perhaps they just eat ridiculously low portion sizes that would leave the average 200 pound American (that's
Re:heh (Score:3, Informative)
This is a general tendency for serious drugs - The opiates are all similar to natural endorphins, with just a few OH radical's here and there for differences. When the body breaks down a synthetic opiate, several reactions proceed at the same speed as for natural endorphins, then a step occurs where the reaction chokes, as the enzymes responsible for that stage of metabol
Just In (Score:3, Funny)
I'm 1/2 through my first cup (Score:2)
That would never happen! I must need more cafeine.
P.S. My last thought before sleep last night was "yay!, when I wake up I get to drink some cofee", its something to look forwards to.
Then soda must be too... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Then soda must be too... (Score:3, Interesting)
A month ago I started drinking water...lots of water. Insted of 2-liters of soda a day, I started drinking 2 liters of spring water a day. It made me cringe at first, I h
Next target in war on drugs ? (Score:5, Funny)
Sugar is Sweet? (Score:2)
That's just an old wives tale! Bah! Sugar isn't sweet... it's saccharine.
In Other News... (Score:5, Funny)
War on (Score:3, Funny)
Re:War on (Score:5, Funny)
How I prevent caffeine withdrawal (Score:5, Funny)
I have to admit. (Score:2, Funny)
I'll RTFA after... (Score:2)
Most addictive substance ever... (Score:2)
Re:Most addictive substance ever... (Score:2)
There are times when I really hate QWERTY...
Org. Johns Hopkins Medicine Press release (+P-F) (Score:5, Informative)
erg? (Score:2, Insightful)
So your statement is saying that you think this study is useless. Then why post it to the front page if you think it's useless?
Still no cure for cancer (Score:3, Insightful)
Slurm! (Score:2, Funny)
leading cause of death: automobile (Score:2, Interesting)
The fact that it's also by FAR the leading cause of death among young people worldwide, of depleting cities of sidewalks full of people and converting them to endless asphalt-covered semi-arid cultural deserts, m
I must be an exception... (Score:5, Interesting)
I can honestly say that even though it does clearly have an effect on me (I get a little jittery and feel way too high strung after a cuppa joe) I would bet that most people would only have "withdrawal symptoms" for a day at most. I'm guessing (very unscientifically) that for most people the need for coffee is a routine. Try switching to water or juice or even decaf coffee to see if you feel any different.
I can see where someone who drinks a couple pots of coffee a day might get headaches or something if they just quit all at once, but this could be said for anything...sugar, caffeine, salty snacks, you name it. Your body is going to be used to dealing with anything you take in in excess. Once that excessive amount is gone, you will notice, at least for a little while. I'm not sure it's really groundbreaking news just because Johns Hopkins told us they found it out.
I certainly don't think it needs to be entered into the DMS just yet, just because some people get a headache from too little/much caffeine. (yes it happens when you get too much too, at least for me) I know people will say it is like alcoholism, where it's the same kinds of symptoms and what not. But I don't think alcoholism is quite as bad as people make it out to be. (and before I go any farther, let me tell you that I do have two alcoholics in my close family) I think that even though some people may be more likely to develop alcoholism, the blame and responsibility still falls on them. Every person has the ability to stop doing destructive behavior. You just have to learn what your limits are and govern them youself....but that's another topic for another day.
I kicked coffee accidentally with creatine (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm now taking 1 heaping teaspoon of creatine a day and on those occasions I drink coffee at all it is about 1/2 to 1 cup early in the morning.
Which is true? (Score:4, Funny)
"Coffee is really addictive" : Slashdot cover story
"Coffee really is addictive" : Original article
Who says Slashdot are really cut and paste merchants?
Obvious "science" (Score:3, Funny)
So, to the list:
* High intake of any substance, exceeding some limit, will kill you.
* Low intake of some substances will kill you.
* It is generally not a good idea to be where the plane crashes.
* You may die from other causes than planes crashing on you.
* Nuclear weapons may be dangerous in the hands of kids (needs futher experimental confirmation).
Nitpick (Score:4, Informative)
the last 5 times i've forgotten to have coffee (Score:3, Interesting)
'hey wait a minute, my coffee pot is empty, and wasn't filled!'
Usually i have around a half a pot to a pot a day. I need around two cups just to get me up in the mornings to some level of coherency. All my recent screw ups I can pin the blame on me for not drinking enough coffee in whatever day they occur on. It kind of worries me, actually; It's becoming more of a 'I have to have coffee, or I will not function with even mediocre talent' rather than a 'with smore coffee I can do better, longer, faster!.'
Which is of course, why I'll be into provigil as soon as I can get easy access to some.
(anyways, I've written many a song on the vector-meme of coffee and caffeine addiction...although none of those have been finished off, you can find some here, from my attempted album ""past tense" [moonside.org] )
It's a drug baby ... (Score:3, Interesting)
Nifty Caffeine Hack (Score:5, Interesting)
Right before going to sleep at night, take one or two caffeine pills. It's necessary you use pills, because the taste of familiar caffinated drinks and/or the sugars in these drinks will cause an immediate "peppy" reaction. The trick to this hack is to fall asleep before the chemicals kick in. Caffeine takes about 30-60 minutes to take effect depending on the person, so you want to be in a situation where you can fall as quickly as possible.
If you do this correctly, what'll end up happening is that the caffeine will cause a state of hyperactivity while you're still asleep! What ends up occuring is an extremely deep, relaxing sleep, while producing intensly vivid dreams. Try it!
I Don't Have a Problem with Coffee (Score:3, Funny)
I did actually kick the habit for several months a while back. The first two weeks are murder (headaches, can't keep your eyes open in the afternoon, etc) but once you get done with withdrawl it's pretty nice. Then one day I needed to stay up late for something and I was back on. I stopped smoking far easier than stopping caffiene.
Some mental health professional I talked to a while back told me that one of the best signs of caffiene addiction that he's seen was Mountain Dew consumpsion. At the time I was drinking a fair bit of that stuff, and I was a bit startled that a lot of people in late night jobs also did. I stopped drinking soft drinks shortly thereafter. I want my daily caffiene quota to come from nice, wholesome coffee! (Heh heh heh)
If you're watching your intake, Excedrin and BC Headache Powder both contain caffiene, by the way. Make sure you check the active ingredients on the stuff you're using take the edge off those caffiene-withdrawl headaches. They make be taking the edge off very well due to having the stuff that you're trying to get away from.
Sure, on the NHS... (Score:2)
Re:Science: Sun rises in the east (Score:4, Funny)
Bears shit in the woods
I resent that remark.
-- Yours truly, Teddy the constipated grizzly
Re:Thank's scientists! (Score:5, Informative)
Some people would probably think it's boring to read the actual article (J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1990 Mar;252(3):970-8) or the abstract [nih.gov], but a link could have been in order.
No, the news is not that "coffee is addictive". Duh.
From the abstract:
"A novel drug discrimination procedure was used to study the discriminability and subjective effects of caffeine in seven human volunteers who abstained from dietary sources of caffeine. [...] The present study documents biological activity of caffeine at lower doses than heretofore recognized. The general approach to investigating the effects of low drug doses may have broad application in human psychopharmacology research for characterizing other subtle psychotropic effects."
Funny? Laugh?
I wonder why the Seattle Times and Slashdot found this worthy to mention, at the same time as it's apparently not worthy to understand.
Re:Thank's scientists! (Score:2)
Please excuse my brainfart! 1990. Oops.
Yeah, maybe they discovered that coffee is addictive after all.
Re:Thank's scientists! (Score:5, Informative)
"OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of the literature regarding human caffeine withdrawal to empirically validate specific symptoms and signs, and to appraise important features of the syndrome."
"CONCLUSIONS. The caffeine-withdrawal syndrome has been well characterized and there is sufficient empirical evidence to warrant inclusion of caffeine withdrawal as a disorder in the DSM and revision of diagnostic criteria in the ICD."
Re:Thank's scientists! (Score:2)
Re:Quitting? (Score:2)
Re:LIES LIES LIES!!! (Score:5, Funny)