The New York Times has a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest on the health effects of caffeine. The study analyzes various claims made about caffeine, and it also offers a useful chart listing the caffeine content in typical drinks and foods. For instance, at 320 milligrams per 16 ounces, a Starbucks grande coffee has over four times the 80 milligrams of caffeine of a Red Bull.

Other findings by the Times and CSPI:

• Unless you consume more than 575 milligrams, caffeinated drinks don’t actually make you pee more.
• Coffee does not increase the risk of heart disease or cancer
• Even though it stimulates the metabolism, caffeine does not increase weight loss. It does aid exercise, however, by dulling pain and stimulating the body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates.

Sorting Out Coffee’s Contradictions [NYT]
Caffeine Chart [Center for Science in the Public Interest]
(Photo: AutumnRedux)

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