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Coffee Drinking, Effects of Caffeine

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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

Synonyms

Age-related cognitive decline; Alertness; Alzheimer’s disease; Anxiety; Attention; Caffeine; Coffee; Cognitive abilities; Concentration; Mood; Pregnancy; Sleep; Vigilance

Definition

Coffee is the drink most consumed by adults after water. Caffeine is the psychoactive substance contained in coffee, tea, soda, cocoa, and chocolate.

Description

In this entry, we will summarize the main effects known about coffee and caffeine consumption on health based on the numerous studies published over the last 10 years. The recent studies have reported the beneficial effects of moderate doses of coffee (3–4 cups per day) on alertness, vigilance, and cognitive abilities. However, coffee/caffeine can disturb sleep and generate anxiety. Its lifelong consumption slows down age-related cognitive decline and decreases the risk for developing Parkinson or Alzheimer’s disease, as well as type 2 diabetes and numerous cancers (cancers of the digestive tract, breast, endometrial, and skin in...

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References and Readings

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U666, INSERM, Faculty of Medicine, University of Strasbourg, 11 rue Humann, 67085, Strasbourg, France

    Dr. Astrid Nehlig

Authors
  1. Dr. Astrid Nehlig
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Astrid Nehlig .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

  2. Cardiovascular Safety, Quintiles, Durham, NC, USA

    J. Rick Turner

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Nehlig, A. (2013). Coffee Drinking, Effects of Caffeine. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_238

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_238

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9

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