Jezebel: caffeine

Freebasing Caffeine? The Internet Makes It Possible

Paige — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST

Have you ever jokingly compared coffee to crack? Ever secretly wished coffee was just a little more like crack? Well, this internet man would like to share his recipe for "Black Magic."

Coffee More Potent for Joes

Margaret — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:45:00 EST

Caffeine has a greater effect on men than women, and its effects start just ten minutes after it is drunk, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Barcelona measured the alertness levels of 668 university students throughout the day after drinking a cup of espresso coffee. The caffeine improved the activity levels of both genders, but had a greater impact on the men. Researchers also found that even a cup of decaffeinated espresso coffee caused a slight improvement in their subjects' alertness, but the effects of decaf coffee were more noticeable among the women. [Science Daily]

Image via Flickr.

Right Now Is About When I Shoot People Who Tell Me They're Worried About Their "Caffeine Addictions"

Moe — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT

You know what I fucking hate? (And yeah this is tangentially related to a substantive news report regarding the topic that you can read if you like to, you know, learn facts.) Moving on I hate people who tell me they're trying to cut back on caffeine. People who will stand around being all drowsy and shit because they're trying to detox from coffee. Seriously, fuck those people. They always make a big deal out of it because, duh, people who haven't had their coffee have a lot to make excuses about, but like, you seriously expect my empathy? You expect my empathy and caffeine is your addiction? Sure, Starbucks with its 400 milligram Ventis has hooked unprecedented numbers of Americans on unprecedented quantities of caffeine. And LOOK AT THE SOCIETAL CONSEQUENCES! Like how America suddenly has a burgeoning employment sector that doesn't consist of "taking care of sick people"!! Because, guess what, coffee doesn't do anything especially bad! It actually turns out to prevent skin cancer and certain autoimmune disorders and shooting yourself in the temple just to put an end to the misery of having to get out of bed every 24 hours!

Anyway, needless to say, there was some interesting information in the story, like about how smokers and Asians and women on the Pill all metabolize caffeine at different rates and will thus have differing reactions to the same sized cup of coffee, and other sort of shit you could probably figure out by drinking it, and then a battery of studies about how caffeine is kind of good for you and then the requisite caveat about how caffeine, even if it keeps you alert, will tire out your brain so that it can't really function by the end of the day and its only use will be "clicking through infomercials" while "feeling mentally exhausted." Yup.

The Coffee Junkie's Guide To Caffeine Addiction [NY Mag]

Just in time to bring a jolting halt to the...

Moe — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:45:00 EST

Just in time to bring a jolting halt to the pregnancy you can't afford to go through with in a recession, Starbucks is experimenting with selling $1 cups of coffee. (Oh wait, that was offensive. Sorry.) Whatever, the $1 cups of coffee are the oft-discussed, rarely-seen "short" cups that, at 8 ounces, were not that popular before they were taken off the menu in the late nineties to make way for the "venti." They're also planning on giving free refills on some drinks. Meanwhile in San Francisco, some representative of the other side of the widening income gap brings you a $20,000 coffee maker. [WSJ]

Coffee Causes Miscarriage But Prevents Ovarian Cancer

Jessica — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:30:00 EST

Another day, another study about caffeine. Following yesterday's news that ingesting more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day can double the risk of miscarriage, today coffee is good for women! According to a new study, women who drink 3 or more cups of coffee a day are 20% less likely to develop ovarian cancer then their water drinking compatriots. The benefits of coffee when it comes to ovarian cancer increase even more if you have not taken the pill or had hormone replacement therapy. The drunks out there can rest easy, because the study showed no relationship between alcohol use and ovarian cancer, though depending on how much you smoke, you can be more susceptible to mucinous tumors, a rare form of ovarian cancer. And what kind of coffee are the Jezebels drinking? The results may shock you.

After a highly scientific poll we conducted on the coffee drinking habits of the Bleeding-Heart Bleeding-Sexed, Socially-Conscious Clive Owen-Worshiping Slobs out there shows that 30% of you make your own fancy-schmancy, highly caffeinated java at home. 20% of you are nancy tea drinkers, 13% of you like your Starbucks with even more juice, and 10% of you like your Starbucks the way God and the body-obsessed intended: with fake sugar.

We're still waiting on tomorrow's study that shows caffeine may cause us to grow a third eye, become a sex fiend, and eat babies. Until then we'll continue to drink enough coffee to drown a horse.

Drinking Coffee May Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk: Study [Reuters]
Three Cups Of Coffee A Day 'Can Cut The Risk Of Ovarian Cancer'[Daily Mail]
Ovarian Cancer Risk Not Affected By Alcohol And Smoking, But Reduced By Caffeine [EurekAlert]

Earlier: Coffee Causes Miscarriage (Except When It Doesn't)
Rachael Ray On Dunkin Donuts Coffee: "What Is This Shit??"
The Jezebel Reader: Profile Of A Bleeding-Heart, Bleeding-Sexed, Socially-Conscious Clive Owen-Worshiping Slob

Coffee Causes Miscarriage (Except When It Doesn't)

Anna — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:30:00 EST

Potentially bad news for knocked-up Starbucks babes: A study published today suggests that women who consume more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day double their risk of miscarriage in the first three months of pregnancy. (To put "200 milligrams" in perspective, a "tall" regular coffee from the 'Bux has 260 mg alone.) Researchers writing in the American Journal Of Obstetrics and Gynecology surmise that caffeine can have a negative effect on a developing embryo by restricting blood flow to the placenta or by interfering with the normal function of developing cells. (It can be difficult for a fetus or embryo to metabolize the stimulant.) But! Researchers in the journal Epidemiology aren't entirely convinced.

"I am not persuaded [caffeine] poses a health hazard," says epidemiologist David Savitz, who, Newsweek reports, considers caffeine "among the long list of things you should think about." "We don't really know the truth." And Dr. Alan Peaceman, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University cautions against "creating hysteria": "I tell women not to be guilty about a cup of coffee if that's what they really need. There are a lot of people who are hooked on caffeine, including myself. there is so much guilt out there that women have to deal with when they have a bad outcome in pregnancy. The vast majority is not within their control."

Caffeine Doubles Miscarriage Risk, Study Finds [Reuters]
Cup Of Contradictions [Newsweek]
New Kaiser Permanente Study Fortifies Caffeine's Link To Miscarriage [Eureka Alert]

Related: Starbucks Beverages [Starbucks]

Brazilian researchers have found that 80%...

Jessica — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:45:00 EST

Brazilian researchers have found that 80% of women who used a caffeine-laden cream on their thighs saw a measurable slimming effect. Considering the rash of Brazilian models, do these genetic friends of Gisele really need the help? [Science Daily]