There has been a little discussion going on this morning on FACEBOOK about caffeine-yes, I am outed as someone who has discovered writing on walls as a new better way to procrastinate.
One Facebook “friend” (a competitive barista, I think) commented that he had just cleared all the caffeine out of his system in time to start over-consuming again.
I wrote that I found managing the uppers and the downers to be one of this coffee lovers key tasks. For me, the downer of choice is wine, and while I am generally pretty moderate in my consumption, on a recent occasion I found myself in the late afternoon (OK this was after a medical appointment discussing treatments for my bum hip) so (as the shrinks say) “disregulated” that I had to drink coffee and wine simultaneously. Coffee to buck me up. Wine to calm me down. Luckily this state of “disregulation” came when my husband and I were near Old Town Alexandria in Northern Virginia, very close to Grape & Bean. Not only could I drink wine and coffee at the same time, I could drink great coffee (counter Culture Kuta) and great wine at the same time. Which was very wonderful. By the time I had ingested one coffee, one glass of sauvignon blanc and one glass of pinot noir, plus a plate of world class charcuterie, my inner state had been sufficiently re-regulated and we could drive on!
Those who share my interest in the peculiar and wonderful effects of caffeine-the-drug, might be interested in this bit of research sent to me by my book editor at Wiley, Linda Ingroia delineating what American cities consume the most and the least caffeine.
Note, however, that the researchers when describing overall useage at the top of the story have not differentiated coffee/caffeine from cola/caffeine. Later in the story, they break out different forms of caffeine, telling who drinks the most/where.
FYI, For the second year in a row, residents of Seattle ingest the most caffeine in the form of coffee. Not too surprising given the city’s coffee-centricity and its depression-inducing climate.
The link to this story seems to have in its own way become “disregulated,” so I have resorted to old fashion cut and paste technology:
Go make another cup of coffee and read:
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HealthSaver Caffeinated Cities Survey Reveals Most, Least Caffeinated Cities in Nation. (PRNewsFoto/HealthSaver)
NORWALK, CT UNITED STATES
NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ — The second annual HealthSaver Caffeinated Cities Survey, commissioned by HealthSaver, a national emerging health care discount service, found that the most caffeinated city in the country is Tampa, followed by Seattle, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090113/NY58247 )
The least caffeinated cities are Riverside/San Bernardino, followed closely by Atlanta, San Diego, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Dallas. The survey considered numerous caffeine sources, including coffee, tea, sodas, energy drinks, chocolate, pain relievers and caffeine pills.
Considering caffeinated coffee consumption alone, it was no surprise that Seattle ranked No. 1 nationwide for the second consecutive year.
The HealthSaver 2008 Caffeinated Cities Survey, released today, was conducted to determine the caffeine consumption habits and attitudes of consumers across the U.S., and to learn more about cultural views and health benefits of this morning pick-me-up, afternoon alert booster and late-night indulgence.
“With the advent of rich, high-end coffees, soaring popularity of energy drinks and national fascination with green tea, our HealthSaver Caffeinated Cities Survey has brewed up some very interesting trends, findings and results,” said Brad Eggleston, vice president of HealthSaver. “This groundbreaking research is an important tool to help educate about the health benefits of moderate caffeine consumption in the United States.”
The health benefits of caffeine are plentiful and well-documented in numerous studies in recent years. Coffee and tea, in particular, have emerged as good health food sources that can lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, and cirrhosis of the liver, as well as lift your mood, treat headaches and even lower risk of cavities. Caffeine also enhances athleticism, endurance and performance, according to health care experts.
“Even though at one time coffee was considered harmful to your health, at this point there is no compelling research to indicate that, in fact, is true,” said Dr. Peter R. Martin, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology and the Director of the Institute of Coffee Studies, Vanderbilt School of Medicine. “Newer studies actually prove coffee in moderation is good for one’s health.”
Here’s the buzz on the most and least wired cities:
Most Caffeinated Cities
2008 2007
1. Tampa 1. Chicago
2. Seattle 2. Tampa
3. Chicago 3. Miami
4. New York 4. Phoenix
5. Los Angeles 5. Atlanta
Least Caffeinated Cities
2008 2007
1. Riverside/San Bernardino 1. San Francisco
2. Atlanta 2. Philadelphia
3. San Diego 3. New York
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul 4. Detroit
5. Dallas 5. Baltimore
Other cities surveyed in 2008 include Baltimore, Miami, Boston, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
For the second year in a row, Seattle ranked No. 1 in coffee consumption, with 55 percent of residents surveyed saying this elixir of alertness would be the most difficult caffeine product to give up.
Nearly one-half (49 percent) of all respondents nationwide said they drink caffeinated coffee every day, while cola and tea tied with a 20 percent daily consumption rate. Sweets containing chocolate ranked fourth among caffeine products, with a 13 percent daily consumption, the survey found.
Some key survey findings:
Most Coffee Consumption
Regular coffee & specialty coffee drinks
2008 2007
1. Seattle 1. Seattle
2. Miami 2. Boston
3. San Francisco 3. Houston
4. Los Angeles 4. Chicago
5. Tampa 5. Miami
Least Coffee Consumption
Regular coffee & specialty coffee drinks
2008 2007
1. St. Louis 1. Dallas
2. Riverside/San Bernardino 2. New York
3. Houston 3. St. Louis
4. Phoenix 4. Atlanta
5. Detroit 5. Philadelphia
Most Cola Consumption
Regular Coke, regular Pepsi, Mountain Dew
2008 2007
1. Houston 1. Chicago
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul 2. Dallas
3. St. Louis 3. St. Louis
4. Chicago 4. Atlanta
5. Washington, D.C. 5. Tampa
Least Cola Consumption
Regular Coke, regular Pepsi, Mountain Dew
2008 2007
1. New York 1. Philadelphia
2. San Francisco 2. New York
3. Riverside/San Bernardino 3. Miami
4. Boston 4. Seattle
5. San Diego 5. San Francisco
Most Tea Consumption
Green tea, iced tea, black tea
2008 2007
1. New York 1. Miami
2. Tampa 2. Tampa
3. Baltimore 3. Washington, D.C.
4. Boston 4. Philadelphia
5. Atlanta 5. Atlanta
Least Tea Consumption
Green tea, iced tea, black tea
2008 2007
1. Minneapolis/St. Paul 1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Miami 2. Detroit
3. San Francisco 3. San Francisco
4. Detroit 4. Seattle
5. Seattle 5. Boston
Most Chocolate Consumption
Candy, ice cream, cake, cookies
2008 2007
1. Seattle 1. Chicago
2. Phoenix 2. Atlanta
3. Chicago 3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Detroit 4. Phoenix
5. Boston 5. St. Louis
Least Chocolate Consumption
Candy, ice cream, cake, cookies
2008 2007
1. Atlanta 1. Los Angeles
2. Dallas 2. Riverside/San Bernardino
3. Riverside/San Bernardino 3. Houston
4. San Diego 4. Miami
5. Philadelphia 5. Dallas
Most Energy Drink Consumption
Red Bull, Monster etc.
2008 2007
1. Atlanta 1. Riverside/San Bernardino
2. Riverside/San Bernardino 2. Los Angeles
3. Tampa 3. Chicago
4. Seattle 4. Miami
5. San Diego 5. New York
Least Energy Drink Consumption
Red Bull, Monster etc.
2008 2007
1. Dallas (tie) 1. Philadelphia
1. Baltimore (tie) 2. San Francisco/Oakland
3. Washington, D.C. 3. Houston
4. Detroit 4. Dallas/Ft. Worth
5. Philadelphia & St. Louis (tie) 5. Boston
Cities Most Likely To Say Caffeine Is Good For You
2008 2007
1. New York 1. Seattle
2. Miami 2. Chicago
3. Baltimore 3. Miami
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul 4. San Diego
5. Tampa 5. Boston
Cities Most Likely To Say Caffeine Is Bad For You
2008 2007
1. Detroit 1. Los Angeles
2. Phoenix 2. Riverside/San Bernardino
3. Riverside/San Bernardino 3. San Francisco
4. St. Louis 4. New York
5. Houston 5. Atlanta
Cities Most Addicted To Caffeine
2008 2007
1. Seattle 1. Boston
2. Philadelphia 2. Minneapolis/St. Paul
3. Phoenix 3. San Diego
4. St. Louis 4. Chicago
5. Los Angeles & Boston (tie) 5. Atlanta
Cities Least Addicted To Caffeine
2008 2007
1. Chicago 1. New York
2. Tampa 2. Philadelphia
3. San Francisco 3. Miami
4. Houston 4. Houston
5. Riverside/San Bernadino 5. Tampa
Consumers tipped their coffee cups on a variety of caffeine-related trends:
For the second straight year, nearly one-half of all respondents (42 percent) said coffee/specialty drinks would be the hardest to give up.
Men are much more likely than women (47 percent vs. 39 percent) to say coffee would be the hardest to give up, similar to the first annual survey.
Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of all respondents said they are not addicted to caffeine.
Among age groups, the older the consumer, the more likely they are to say coffee would be the most difficult caffeinated product to give up, a pattern similar to that found last year.
Other key findings of the study:
Women are more likely than men to say they are addicted to caffeine (29 percent of women vs. 24 percent of men).
A majority (64 percent) said they consume about the same amount of caffeine as they did a year ago.
More than one-fourth (28 percent) consume less caffeine now than they did a year ago.
The younger the age group, the more likely they are to say they consume more caffeine than a year ago.
Among respondents consuming less caffeine, 53 percent said it is because they are seeking to improve their health; and nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of those consuming less caffeine are doing so because of a change of diet/currently on a diet plan.
More than one-fourth said they consume more caffeine than a year ago because their everyday routine is more demanding. Another six percent said it was because they have more access to caffeine, and 2 percent said they consume more because of fatigue due to sleep problems.
Over one-half of respondents said they are way over their ideal weight (12 percent) or over their ideal weight (54 percent). Only four percent said they were under their ideal weight.
HealthSaver, an emerging health care discount program, offers savings on prescriptions, vision care, complementary and alternative health care treatments, vitamins and supplements by mail and more than 1,500 fitness clubs nationwide, including select Bally Total Fitness, World Gym and Ladies Workout Express locations.
Survey Methodology