Caffeine is a pharmacologically active substance, and, depending on the dose, can be a mild central nervous system stimulant. Any pharmacological effects of caffeine are transient, usually passing within hours. Many other familiar foods also exert pharmacological effects. A glass of warm milk before bedtime is appreciated by some for the somnolent effects of tryptophan, and capsaicin in hot peppers is notorious for producing a burning sensation, that often evokes sweating.

Caffeine does not accumulate in the body over the course of time and is normally excreted within several hours of consumption.

The "half-life" of caffeine is the time it takes to eliminate one-half of consumed caffeine from the body. This varies among individuals, about three to four hours in healthy adults. Smoking increases the metabolism of caffeine, generally reducing the half-life to no more than three hours. Children also metabolize caffeine at a quicker rate.

People differ greatly in their sensitivity to caffeine. When analyzing caffeine's effects on an individual, many factors must be weighed. The amount ingested and how often a person consumes caffeine are relative in evaluating caffeine's effects.

With regular use, tolerance develops to many of the effects of caffeine. For example, a person who consumes caffeine on a regular basis may drink several cups of coffee in a few hours and notice little effect, whereas a person who isn't a regular coffee drinker may feel some stimulant effect after just one serving.

Additionally, studies have shown that individuals who consume caffeine may increase memory and improve reasoning powers. Research indicated that those who consumed caffeine scored higher grades on motor skill tests, enhanced reaction times and improved auditory and visual vigilance.

Contrary to popular belief, children, including those diagnosed as hyperactive, are no more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than adults. Plus, a 1984 study demonstrated that caffeine was not a cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Individuals tend to find their own acceptable level of daily caffeine consumption. Those people who feel unwanted effects tend to ease off their caffeine consumption; those who don't continue to consume caffeine at their own normal levels. In practice, the person who feels adverse effects such as sleeplessness learns not to consume caffeine before bedtime.

I am all for progress. Bring on the videophone and honest politicians, but for heaven sake, leave our food alone. Remember the good old days of butter, sugar and cancer free tobacco. Then along came margarine, health fads and the pick of the bunch, sweeteners

Sticking clear of products containing Aspartame (NutraSweet®, Candarel® etc), is no easy task. Investigation of labels will display the extent to which these products are used in drinks and our food. Any diet drink uses Aspartame or a variant thereof to replace the sugar. One in 16,000 people is sensitive to phenylalanine, an amino acid found in aspartame.

I am not going to get into the debate on these pages. Suffice to say that the companies mentioned above have now launched major media campaigns explaining to the public just how safe aspartame is. Smell a rat, anyone?

Here are a few recommended links for further reading. According to the authors, aspartame can make you very ill, and from evaluating the information we tend to agree. No smoke, no fire. If you are a diet fanatic, you probably ingest huge quantities of Aspartame. Please read the articles below.

The Aspartame Controversy
Diabetic website