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Estimated marginal means (±standard error (SE)) for average and maximum heart rates in beats per minute (BPM). Participants had elevated average and maximum heart rates during the coffee visual cue presentation relative to the neutral visual cue presentation, p = 0.002.
Source publication
Background:
Caffeine is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance, yet its potential reinforcing properties have been understudied.
Aims:
This study examined the impact of caffeine administration and expectancy on coffee-related craving, withdrawal, and cue reactivity via a balanced-placebo design.
Methods:
Following 18-h caffeine abstine...
Context in source publication
Citations
... Most energy drinks contain approximately 80-350 mg of caffeine per serving. In comparison a standard cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine [34]. Long-term excessive consumption of energy drinks, coffee, and related products can have harmful effects on health. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on our lives and society, influencing both individuals' lifestyles and habits. Recent research shows that anxiety and loneliness have continued to rise, along with changes in food and lifestyle choices. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the pandemic influenced food choices and consumption of energy drinks, alcohol, fruits, and vegetables among first-year university students. Additionally, assessing the relationship between mental and physical health, physical activity, and food choices. A total of 128 male and 128 female first-year students at the University of Iceland were invited to answer an electronic questionnaire in January and early February 2021. A total of 118 students (54% men) participated in the study and valid answers were 115 (46% participation rate). Almost half of the students (44%) experienced that their food choices had worsened, while 14% reported an improvement, compared to before the pandemic. Consumption of caffeinated beverages increased for 26% of students, while 19% experienced a decrease. Just over half of the students reported not drinking alcohol (13%) or reduced consumption (41%). Participants who reported that their mental health had deteriorated or remained the same tended to spend less time on physical activity and experienced worsened food choices (p
... with drug dependence into how their beliefs about having consumed or abstained from the drug they are dependent on affect their withdrawal symptoms. The few studies that have indicate that when abstinent participants believe they have taken an active drug, they report reduced withdrawal symptoms, independently of whether they received the drug or placebo, for example with acamprosate (Colagiuri et al., 2009) and diazepam (Francis & Nelson, 1984 ) for alcohol withdrawal; nicotine gum (Gottlieb et al., 1987) and nicotine inhalers (Darredeau & Barrett, 2010) for nicotine withdrawal; and caffeine gum (Shephard & Barrett, 2022) and decaffeinated coffee (Rubin & Smith, 1999;Smith, 1996) for caffeine withdrawal. This suggests that placebos are capable of reducing withdrawal symptoms. ...
Background:
Withdrawal from addictive drugs can be reduced by administering placebo deceptively, but in the clinic it is unethical to deceive the patient. Open-label placebo effects have been observed across a range of psychophysiological phenomena, and may also apply to drug withdrawal.
Method:
24-hour abstinent heavy coffee drinkers (N = 61) rated their caffeine withdrawal symptoms before being allocated to one of three groups. The Deceptive group was given decaffeinated coffee (decaf) and told it was caffeinated, the Open-Label group given decaf and told it was decaf and the Control group given water and told it was water. After 45 min, caffeine withdrawal was measured again. All participants rated their expectancies of withdrawal reduction from caffeinated coffee, decaf and water prior to being randomised and the end of the study.
Results:
There was a significant 9.5-point reduction in caffeine withdrawal in the Open-Label group (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.7, 14.3; p = 0.002), which was 8.6 points less than the Deceptive group (95%CI: 0.4, 16.8; p = 0.014) but 8.9 points greater than the Control group (95%CI: 0.6, 17.2; p = 0.012). Pre-randomisation, participants expected caffeinated coffee to reduce their withdrawal symptoms the most, followed by water and decaf, Pre-randomisation expectancy of withdrawal was only associated with amount of withdrawal reduction in the Deceptive group.
Conclusion:
It appears as if open-label placebo caffeine (i.e. decaf) can reduce caffeine withdrawal symptoms, even when people do not hold a conscious expectancy it will do so. There may be ways to integrate open-label placebo procedures into clinical interventions for drug dependence without violating informed consent.
... with drug dependence into how their beliefs about having consumed or abstained from the drug they are dependent on affect their withdrawal symptoms. The few studies that have indicate that when abstinent participants believe they have taken an active drug, they report reduced withdrawal symptoms, independently of whether they received the drug or placebo, for example with acamprosate (Colagiuri et al., 2009) and diazepam (Francis & Nelson, 1984 ) for alcohol withdrawal; nicotine gum (Gottlieb et al., 1987) and nicotine inhalers (Darredeau & Barrett, 2010) for nicotine withdrawal; and caffeine gum (Shephard & Barrett, 2022) and decaffeinated coffee (Rubin & Smith, 1999;Smith, 1996) for caffeine withdrawal. This suggests that placebos are capable of reducing withdrawal symptoms. ...
Purpose:
Evidence suggests that people drink more alcohol and experience more adverse alcohol-related consequences (ARCs) on occasions when they also consume caffeine. The current study examined whether this increase in risk is a result of caffeine attenuating the subjective effects of alcohol intoxication (i.e., the masking hypothesis).
Methods:
Undergraduate students (n = 148) reported their drinking patterns using a modified Timeline Followback approach. For each recalled drinking occasion, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, perceived blood alcohol concentration, and ARCs were assessed. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the influence that alcohol and caffeine consumption had on perceived intoxication and the experience of ARCs.
Results:
At the occasion level, greater caffeine consumption was associated with increased consumption of alcohol and increased ARCs. There was also a significant curvilinear relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed and perceived intoxication, such that the more alcohol was consumed on each occasion the less each additional drink increased perceived intoxication. Increased caffeine consumption weakened the association between alcohol consumption and perceived intoxication and it also weakened the association between alcohol consumption and ARCs. Specifically, the weakest relationship between ARCs and alcohol consumption existed at the highest level of caffeine consumption (240+ mg). Caffeine increased subjective intoxication.
Conclusions:
These findings do not support the masking hypothesis. Caffeine was strongly associated with ARCs when consumed at high doses and this effect does not appear to be the result of drinking more alcohol or underestimating one's blood alcohol content. Efforts to reduce caffeinated alcohol beverage use are greatly needed.
