Posted January 14, 200916 yr 'Visions link' to coffee intake Source - BBC News People who drink too much coffee could start seeing ghosts or hearing strange voices, UK research has suggested. People who drank more than seven cups of instant coffee a day were three times more likely to hallucinate than those who took just one, a study found. A Durham University team questioned 200 students about their caffeine intake, the journal Personality and Individual Differences reported. However, academics say the findings do not prove a "causal link". They also stress that experiencing hallucinations is not a definite sign of mental illness and that about 3% of people regularly hear voices. "This is the first step toward looking at the wider factors associated with hallucinations," said psychology PhD student Simon Jones, who led the study. Under stress He said previous research had suggested factors such as childhood trauma could be linked to hallucinations. When under stress, the body releases a hormone called cortisol which is produced in greater quantities after consuming caffeine. The extra cortisol boost could be what causes a person to hallucinate. Therefore, Mr James added, it made sense to examine the link between caffeine and mood. Besides coffee, sources such as tea, chocolate, "pep" pills and energy drinks contain caffeine. After asking the students about their typical intake, the research team assessed their susceptibility to hallucinatory experiences and stress levels. Pregnancy problems Among the experiences reported were seeing things that were not there, hearing voices, and sensing the presence of dead people. However, Mr James stressed more work was needed to pin down the link. He said: "Stressed people may simply drink more caffeine." And he added: "Even if caffeine were responsible for hallucinations in some way, the part it plays would be small compared to other factors in life." The researchers now plan to investigate whether other aspects of diet, such as sugar and fat consumption, might be associated with hallucinations. Dr Euan Paul, of the British Coffee Association, stressed the study only focused on people with a very high caffeine intake. He also said no details were recorded of other substances consumed that might have had hallucinogenic effects. "There are literally thousands of well conducted published studies looking at all aspects of the coffee, caffeine and health debate and the overall conclusion clearly demonstrates that moderate caffeine intake, 400-500mg per day, is safe for the general population and may even confer health benefits." Recent research has linked high caffeine intake among pregnant women to miscarriage or low birth weight. Other studies suggested it could help prevent skin cancer, reduce nerve damage associated with multiple sclerosis, or cause problems for diabetes sufferers. The Durham study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and Medical Research Council. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :lol: :lol: :lol: Fantastic.... Who needs LSD or Magic Mushrooms......? ROFLMAO..... So, does this mean that Anthony Head was drinking sooooo much coffee during these "Gold Blend" ads it actually made him think the bird he was acting opposite was more attractive than she actually was...... :lol: :lol: Will Mushymanrob now be changing his name to Coffeemanrob....... :lol: :lol: :lol:
January 14, 200916 yr I've got to start drinking coffee now! I've always wanted to see a ghost. Hmm Coffeemanrob? That's a much better name!
January 14, 200916 yr :lol: you beat me too it (coffeemanrob) lord it would be so much easier if coffee did give you haluciations....
January 14, 200916 yr Author lord it would be so much easier if coffee did give you haluciations.... Well, apparently, you have to drink about 7 cups of instant every day...... :rolleyes: well, if you dont suffer from a heart arhythmia after about 3 months of doing this, then maybe you'll start to see "dead people" or summat..... :lol:
January 14, 200916 yr I used to drink Coffee, but I gave it up, I kept seeing things, I knew it was true.
January 14, 200916 yr Author I used to drink Coffee, but I gave it up, I kept seeing things, I knew it was true. There we go... Empirical proof that the research is, indeed, accurate..... :lol:
January 14, 200916 yr Well I drink 4-5 cups a day and I've never seen anything strange.......and neither has my imaginary friend :coffee:
January 15, 200916 yr Ew how can you people drink that terrible instant coffee?? :P I'm back to drip coffee, black. I admit I participated in the Starbucks-fueled latte craze for a while but when times are tough, you relearn how to enjoy a simpler lifestyle. :) Oh and hallucinations? Perhaps, but I'd gladly welcome hallucinations in exchange for the headaches and jitters I get by 2pm without coffee...
January 15, 200916 yr I drink coffee but not everyday. I guess that's why I don't get to hear and see crap around me. :D Edited January 15, 200916 yr by funmaker11
January 17, 200916 yr Oh dear, another piece of bogus "research", http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...ce-ben-goldacre
January 18, 200916 yr Author Oh dear, another piece of bogus "research", http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...ce-ben-goldacre And it would appear that, for once, it is the scientists to blame for it as opposed to the Media picking it up wrong..... :rolleyes: Some people need to have their research grants taken away if you ask me...... -_-
January 18, 200916 yr Pfft, I have between 7-12 cups a day, and i'm totally fine. I don't normally get to sleep until 3am, but I don't see things :lol:
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