Regular Caffeine Consumption – From Coffee, Cola, or Energy Drinks – Affects Brain Structure

Brain Glitch Stress Disorder Concept

Regular caffeine intake can alter the gray matter of the brain, but the effect seems to be temporary.

Coffee, cola or an energy drink: caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance. Researchers from the University of Basel have now shown in a study that regular caffeine intake can change the gray matter of the brain. However, the effect appears to be temporary.

No question – caffeine helps most of us to feel more alert. However, it can disrupt our sleep if consumed in the evening. Sleep deprivation can in turn affect the gray matter of the brain, as previous studies have shown. So can regular caffeine consumption affect brain structure due to poor sleep? A research team led by Dr. Carolin Reichert and Professor Christian Cajochen of the University of Basel and UPK (the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel) investigated this question in a study.

The result was surprising: the caffeine consumed as part of the study did not result in poor sleep. However, the researchers observed changes in the gray matter, as they report in the journal Cerebral Cortex. Gray matter refers to the parts of the central nervous system made up primarily of the cell bodies of nerve cells, while white matter mainly comprises the neural pathways, the long extensions of the nerve cells.

Pouring Coffee

The daily dose of caffeine is part of everyday life for many people. Apparently, however, regular caffeine consumption alters brain structures.

A group of 20 healthy young individuals, all of whom regularly drink coffee on a daily basis, took part in the study. They were given tablets to take over two 10-day periods, and were asked not to consume any other caffeine during this time. During one study period, they received tablets with caffeine; in the other, tablets with no active ingredient (placebo). At the end of each 10-day period, the researchers examined the volume of the subjects’ gray matter by means of brain scans. They also investigated the participants’ sleep quality in the sleep laboratory by recording the electrical activity of the brain (EEG).

Sleep unaffected, but not gray matter

Data comparison revealed that the participants’ depth of sleep was equal, regardless of whether they had taken the caffeine or the placebo capsules. But they saw a significant difference in the gray matter, depending on whether the subject had received caffeine or the placebo. After 10 days of placebo – i.e. “caffeine abstinence” – the volume of gray matter was greater than following the same period of time with caffeine capsules.

The difference was particularly striking in the right medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is essential to memory consolidation. “Our results do not necessarily mean that caffeine consumption has a negative impact on the brain,” emphasizes Reichert. “But daily caffeine consumption evidently affects our cognitive hardware, which in itself should give rise to further studies.” She adds that in the past, the health effects of caffeine have been investigated primarily in patients, but there is also a need for research on healthy subjects.

Although caffeine appears to reduce the volume of gray matter, after just 10 days of coffee abstinence it had significantly regenerated in the test subjects. “The changes in brain morphology seem to be temporary, but systematic comparisons between coffee drinkers and those who usually consume little or no caffeine have so far been lacking,” says Reichert.

Reference: “Daily Caffeine Intake Induces Concentration-Dependent Medial Temporal Plasticity in Humans: A Multimodal Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial” by Yu-Shiuan Lin, Janine Weibel, Hans-Peter Landolt, Francesco Santini, Martin Meyer, Julia Brunmair, Samuel M Meier-Menches, Christopher Gerner, Stefan Borgwardt, Christian Cajochen and Carolin Reichert, 15 February 2021, Cerebral Cortex.
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab005

126 Comments on "Regular Caffeine Consumption – From Coffee, Cola, or Energy Drinks – Affects Brain Structure"

  1. To cure my supposed hyperactivity of infancy: my Mother says she was instructed to feed me half a bottle (4 ounces) of coffee a day. Clearly the Doctor did not know how strong my mother made coffee. Now I am 74, still the family “brainiac,” and I drink 9 eight ounce cups of coffee a day. Not sure if I would have been smarter if I had not ever developed a coffee habit but I am doing ok so far.

  2. Does the brain really change that quickly? I would have expected the study to go on a lot longer.

  3. Samir Mokdad | June 3, 2021 at 4:48 am | Reply

    What a load of nonsense. I have been drinking coffee since I was 14. I am today in my eighties and my brain is doing fine…
    Stockholm – Sweden

  4. A thimble full? 4 gallons? Does it affect leaving out details and contribute to extreme vagueness?

  5. And what of those that knock out 3 or 4 Zero sugar energy drinks a day? Reign, Bang, Monster for example

  6. Heather Marie Hairhoger | June 3, 2021 at 5:12 am | Reply

    My son was born at 27 weeks at the UMC of Tucson, AZ. And they routinely gave babies caffeine to make them more alert. My son use to be given caffeine, cause he would pass out for no known reason (that doctors could ever find).
    I wonder if giving premature sickly babies caffeine, was such a good idea?

  7. Bonnie!, I just laughed out loud,thank you for making my morning. Im all to familiar with the hyperactivity thing too,But sometime in the 70 Drs realized Barbiturates were safer.Now I drink my coffee and reflect back on the fond memories of Ciba Geigy’s Doraden and Lemon 714 metha qualone

  8. I’m 42 now, been drinking caffeine since my 30’s. My memory problems increased significantly after I began my 7-9 energy drink a day addiction. I was tested for early Alzheimer’s, even. And I had been tested for MENSA in my younger days. Of course, no connection to the drinks were made. A decade later, I’m down to two a day. I definitely feel cognitively better.

  9. Caffeine is a prescription medicine for babies in the NICU to spur their breathing rate up.

  10. The author mentions the study used only individuals who consumed caffeine on a regular basis. Considering the addictive qualities of caffeine, is the difference in structure similar across the brain structure of individuals addicted to other substances? In other words, is the difference in structure a result of addiction, and would we see the same result in a placebo group for a different study?

  11. Please I took excess bitter cola which contained much caffeine and it affected my sleep for the past one year,and I need help right now.

  12. I am 43 years old an avid coffee drinker. I drink at least 12 cups of Expresso a day! I am very active and extremely intelligent. I am constantly picking up new things to learn. Always. I understand that this study was done with caffeine capsules, which I have also taken. For driving long distances and a spike of energy. Usually capsule contain 200mlg of caffeine at once. That’s way different than consuming as a liquid by cup. So I’m not sure what this is trying to prove other than if you suddenly jolt your brain it can cause damage. Wellllll dugh! That’s like snatching a fish out of water and seeing if it breaths the same. Rather than checking it’s oxygen level with a gradual transfer… Sometimes I wonder if we are doing the right thing on this plane…
    So my question is.. was this study done with regular caffeine consumption using the different levels of caffeine per cup according to the bean roast. Weather dark or light, the roast has alot to do with the strength of the coffee.

  13. This doesn’t even explain grey matter… but ok good info.

  14. Luz C. Colon | June 3, 2021 at 6:36 am | Reply

    It concluded that it affects the grey matter by shrinking it’s size some. They assume it must be a bad thing, but could it be working better because of the stimulation of caffeine. After all athlete’s are lean for a reason.

  15. Phil McKrevice | June 3, 2021 at 6:54 am | Reply

    Bonnie, your teeth must really be a work of art by now.

  16. I suffered from temporal Lobe Epilepsy when I was younger. The seizures of TLE are much different than other forms of Epilepsy. I’ll let you look that up. I’m 44 now. These seizures we’re not chronic. Doctors found no solution but I did. I noticed I only had these seizures when I consumed caffeine. Usually on more than an average amount. I cut out the caffeine and never had another seizure. I believe there is a connection between caffeine consumption and TLE.

  17. What the heck is grey matter and is it good or bad?

    • Neurons look kind of like a puffy dandelion ready for someone to blow on it: big center part (nucleus) with fuzzy hair (dendrites), a stem (axon), and roots (terminals). Grey matter on the wrinkly outside is mostly nuclei and dendrites. White matter on the inside is mostly axons and fat that covers them like plastic on a power cord, and the terminals go to other neurons in the center of the brain, at least in the part of the brain they studied.

      The fat is awesome, since that’s what goes to work after a stroke or concussion. If you need an excuse to eat fat, you have one now.

  18. Annette Carrizosa | June 3, 2021 at 9:37 am | Reply

    Wow Bonnie! My mother used to give us soda in our bottles, I have a diet coke habit that would rival your coffee one! But hey we survived 🤣

  19. I love that story,that your mom made that coffee so strong and made you so smart..Weak coffee,I’d never drink. LOL!

  20. Derek Coffeemon | June 3, 2021 at 10:06 am | Reply

    My brain is caffeine

  21. Johnnie R Robinson | June 3, 2021 at 10:10 am | Reply

    Not using your brain or continuous development of your brain results in loss of gray matter regardless of whether you drink water or caffeinated beverages

  22. I used to drink 8 cups of coffee a day 10 years ago then I stopped and went down to 1 cup per day up until 1 year ago and now I don’t drink coffee at all. All of a sudden I lost the taste for coffee and I think it was because of my seizure disorder. I started to feel to anxious from the caffeine even though I drank weak coffee I felt uncomfortable drinking it so I quit. I will have a cup of tea now and then but that’s about it.

  23. The sample size for this study (20 people) is waaaaay too small to give accurate results. Let’s see this study repeated with 100 or more subjects with subsequent studies reporting similar findings.

  24. Caffeine is a diuretic. So wouldn’t volume increase in the whole body overall, not just the grey matter?

  25. Destini Alvarez | June 3, 2021 at 11:01 am | Reply

    Bonnie Davis
    I am amazed. Is this true?!?!

  26. Just because the term “grey matter” exists in the study, denounced it from being a legitimate medical study. The fact that a placebo was given, normally a sugar pill, makes it less valid. Sugar and caffeine are both stimulants in the generic cocaine family of drugs.

    Inconclusive is the same as “no clue”, or “failed hypothesis”. At best, this was a sleep deprivation test, which concluded that coffee and sugar pills have no real effect on “deep sleep”.

    The fact that they didn’t include ADD or AHDD into account, or “current and prior daily habbits”, is another sign of a lack of scientific or medical study. (People with ADD and AHDD use stimulants to “calm thief mind”.) Not even body mass was accounted for.

    The mind needs time to unwind and filter useless data, as well as time to solidify important data. If your mind is always saturated in “awake input”, there is little time for sleep ckarity. You will ultimately become paranoid, depressed, forgetful, appear lazy as your brain craves sleep but your body resists it, and have bigger medical issues than “grey matter” patterns in your brain.

  27. Aaron J Tucker | June 3, 2021 at 11:31 am | Reply

    Caffeine is a diuretic. Could it be that the brain is being affected by a case of dehydration, and not caffeine? I would be interested to hear if they accounted for this in their study.

  28. Could there be a link between caffeine consumption and alzheimer’s?

  29. Knuckle Dragger | June 3, 2021 at 1:23 pm | Reply

    I love coffee. My risk calculus follows: Dumb as a post before I started drinking coffee; no change in status after 40 years of daily coffee consumption… continued consumption of coffee is an acceptable risk.

  30. Just a bunch of blablabla,what’s wrong with coffee is chemical sprayed on it to kill insects

  31. i think it matters so we should leave the daily habit to take coffee..

  32. Bruce DiCampli | June 3, 2021 at 3:29 pm | Reply

    Perhaps the diuretic effects of caffeine just reduced the volume of water retained in the brain cells? Since the brain returned to normal after caffeine reduction,it seems like a logical,if not obvious possibility.

  33. I’ve been a regular coffee drinker, for the past 20+ years. Although I’m not a heavy drinker, 3-4 standard teacup daily with 1 tsp of coffee each cup w/ sugar. I cannot not have coffee, reason being is prevention to onset of my migraine in the morning (suggested by my doctor), and never had to deal with migraines ever again in the morning. I must have coffee an hour before bed, or I couldn’t sleep well.

    I believe that studies, researches needs to take into account with controlled groups, taking consideration the health of each individual, blood type, controlled to a point all controlled group eating the same meal, beverage, living conditions, etc … Our brain is such a complicated specimen, everything we feel, do, take in, internally, physically, medications, exercises and environment exposure, etc … could effect how our brain functions, with each individual.

  34. Michelle Jay | June 3, 2021 at 5:07 pm | Reply

    I’m hard pressed to believe caffeine can compromise brain function. Doctors & lawyers consume lots of coffee & have more irregular sleep patterns than anyone; they retain their faculties & live longer than average. This is just another case of fear mongering – it’s pure BS.

  35. Jeffrey Lassiter | June 3, 2021 at 5:54 pm | Reply

    So I wonder if coffee helps the gray matter in your brain that was caused by a previous stroke I believe the answer would be yes.

  36. Vennie Thompson | June 3, 2021 at 6:14 pm | Reply

    I am pleased that there appears to be visible effect from caffeine consumption on brain gray matter. It has been shown to have protective effect against Alzheimers, along with ibuprofen, blueberries and Shingrix. The woman wondering how smart she would be had she not drunk coffee from childhood, now in her 70’s may in fact be way smarter for it.

  37. I wonder if this would help my grandsons autism.He doesn’t communicate more than 8 words at 3 yrs old but very intelligent at matching colors and everything he does has to be in a pattern.Sometimes out of the blue he will say something unexpected like someone turned on a switch and I wonder if it is when I have fed him chocolate.I feed him lots of brain foods and daily vitamin but I feel it can be fixed before he falls to far behind but I worry about using caffeine and would talk to a pediatrician first.It makes sense though because coffee sort if wakes your brain up.I feel so bad for him because it feels like he us trapped and can’t get words out.

  38. Teresa Updyke | June 3, 2021 at 8:18 pm | Reply

    I drink monster drinks is feels like my brains being rip apart and I can’t constrat in confused a lot

  39. Well I’m 53yrs old been drinking coffee as long as i can remember.I say I drink anywhere to 5to7 pots of coffee a day sometimes i drink 2 pots before bed….an i sleep fine no problems sleep about 8 to 9 hours a day..So I think this study is not accurate

  40. Alice Dickerson | June 3, 2021 at 9:27 pm | Reply

    One month coffee helps the brain and you’re thinking in the next ma month it’s not good for your brain I wish I’d make up yall’s mind where do these doctors come from and get their degree’s

  41. The small sample size and short time period are both disappointing. Much more thorough studies on this topic would be more compelling and satisfactory. Moreover, the differences between the groups need to be investigated and explored and explained much better.

    Sincerely,
    – morning Coffee drinker

  42. It’s not the coffee that causes the changes, it’s the lack of sleep. Sleep apnea and other sleep disturbances lead to the brain changes.

  43. @Bonnie Guess it affects different people differently.

  44. So the entire University of Basel wrote an article that too much of a good thing is bad for you… and annoyingly, they noted the impact of a reduction of neural connections to the brain approximately more than half way through the article… hmm, perhaps the University needs more sleep?

    • Coffee doesn’t have any calories, but the sugary electrolyte drinks (for guys and men) can make you fat.

  45. Don´t they have anything better to study?

  46. Starbucks lobbying power must have suddenly dropped for this come out. I just can’t help but see a connection; for years now we’ve had the technology to measure such things, but it’s only now that so many coffee shops go out of business this happens

  47. Michael Almir | June 4, 2021 at 2:01 am | Reply

    There is a Google advertisement spot that can not be removed and blocks about ten lines of text of this “Caffeine affect on the brain” article. Can’t Google place ad in-between paragraphs? This is very frustrating.

  48. I don’t understand this news about a resource with 20 healthy young individuals,is too small a sample to publish alarming the population. And about caffeine in tea ? Tendentious…

  49. This is not true for everyone. Before making such a claim one should run experimental trials, proper ones. See you in 10years

  50. Thomas Moffat. | June 4, 2021 at 2:58 am | Reply

    Surely a study into such a complex area would need so much more research and testing.There is insufficient knowledge regarding the workings of the brain and it’s massive complexity. We can assume nothing from this study.

  51. For the Mom (in comments section) whose son was passing out for no apparent reason, consider Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Peace.

  52. Doesn't matter | June 4, 2021 at 5:13 am | Reply

    Soo if you read all articles online you end up realising that everything is bad for your body even water even air. Best solution is to stop reading those articles you will feel better.

  53. Stephen Maple | June 4, 2021 at 5:58 am | Reply

    I have moyamoya more strokes then u could u would know! Yes drink more coffee then u would know!

  54. Your Conscience | June 4, 2021 at 6:01 am | Reply

    The coffee addiction cope in this comment section is hilarious

  55. CHERYL J ADKINS | June 4, 2021 at 6:20 am | Reply

    Well I should be brain dead by now. I am in my 60’s and have been consuming coffee by the gallon since my teen years. My mother did the same and she was in fully cognizent till she died in her 80’s.

  56. Numerous studies in Neuroscience have shown that exercising 30 minutes a day increases gray matter. Drink that caffeine and then go for a walk! It will all balance out.

  57. James Bunting | June 4, 2021 at 6:40 am | Reply

    A little R&R can help. “Red Bull and Ritalin”. Also, growing up on Cap’n Crunch with whole milk was totally incredible. Forget about the toy surprise at the bottom of the box.

  58. Phil, really? This article is about caffeine/brain, not teeth. No need to be rude.

  59. Study abstract is linked at bottom, around 450mg of caffeine. Still no guidance on the,

  60. Dr. William Westbrook | June 4, 2021 at 7:12 am | Reply

    THERE WAS NO COFFEE INVOLVED!…THUS NO BEANS, NO DARKNESS OF THE ROASTS. This was done with caffeine PILLS. Everyone, stop getting offended and just accept that maybe you have less or damaged Gray Matter. Period. I don’t want to hear how successful and smart you are, and that you drink 20 cups a day. That’s fine, there are surely all type of drug addicts who manage to be fairly functional. And, that is what caffeine is a Drug. It is classified as a drug. You use it to change your chemistry, biology, life because of its chemical properties. That the definition of a DRUG. That the facts.

  61. Also this study was exclusive to caffeine pills, so misleading title per usual fron a media outlet. Coffee has known antioxidants and energy drinks and coke have all kinds of random compounds. So still dont know if there are any synergies.

  62. Moderate is the key. I don’t believe the research tho.

  63. Interesting, definitely worth more study.
    Many comments – negative/cynic but, as stated, it’s worth more study under different/larger construct to see if it can be, at all, confirmed scientifically. Never is anything scientific without multiple comparable studies. Rather, researched results are studied and discussed to be appropriately concluded upon and even then corrections are made.
    There’s a lot of junk to clog the mind but caution and awareness help us keep a step ahead. I look forward to future studies herewith.

  64. I drink 20 ounces of coffee everyday and then drink a 6pck of pepsi for the rest of my day. Im mid 50’s and sharp as a tack.

  65. Cara S Weston | June 4, 2021 at 2:08 pm | Reply

    Research has shown that aerobic exercise can increase the size of the hippocampus. That needs to be acounted for in any serious study like this

  66. OK, the article did not say that the decrease in gray matter was good or bad, just that it happens. There’s a lot of insecure coffee drinkers in here making crazy claims, like that sugar is a stimulant or that they’re mad intelligent. Science usually doesn’t give us a lot of conclusions, just more questions. Let the process work and calm down. Maybe read the whole article next time or start working on your reading comprehension. Read the Wikipedia page on the scientific method, too.

  67. Coffee is a diabetic if a diabetics drinks it they will induce more health complication it dehydrates you unless u need to get ride of water I suggest not to drink it .
    If we were smarter we would all drink Mexican coca-cola the carbin in American soda kills the brain fast pour a Mexican soda and see the natural foam it makes when poured.
    Who ever made the new creation of the American soda should go to school of science first.

  68. We are under globalist control. Reject anti-human agendas. Elysium, Soylent Green, surrogates, 12 monkeys, agenda 21

  69. I have been drinking coffee since I was 9 years old, as an adult I drink a pot or more of coffee daily and have for over 20 years, I feel great.

  70. My family and I were born with poor mental health. What me and my father have found is that coffee, as well as alcohol, nicotine, drugs, etc, really effect our mental well being. I’m starting to think that coffee can be really bad for those who struggle with poor mental health. Those who don’t struggle are obviously fine, but if be careful with substancesn like that if you do struggle with mental health 🏥

  71. Coffee is the most successful drink ever, but also perhaps the deadliest *coughe coughe*

  72. Teresa Updike: “I drink monster drinks is feels like my brains being rip apart and I can’t constrat in confused a lot”

    Put the Monster down, Teresa.

  73. There’s too much blood in my caffeine system.

  74. Deanna Bayer | June 5, 2021 at 8:45 am | Reply

    Caffeine does not make we have energy it just makes me sleepy I just like drinking because it tastes good

  75. They failed to mention what the effects of lower grey matter are. I feel they should have highlighted the role of gray matter itself. To better explain what changes it is actually doing

  76. It’s time for the industry of the caffeine pushers to come up with their own studies and show the truth about how caffeine effects the gray matter, as they see it, or how they would like the truth to be…🤣

  77. Mary Lynn Dohner | June 5, 2021 at 5:22 pm | Reply

    Is it possible that this change is primarily related to the diuretic effect of caffeine…. and that is why it resolves when there is no caffeine intake

  78. Amalia, lol wow, everything you said is just awful. I dread ever being around you and hope I never am.

  79. I have idea what would happen to me if I stopped drinking my iced coffees in the morning. I guarantee it wouldn’t be good and 10 days is an awful long time for my family and coworkers to live and work with a probable psychopath so I am going to keep drinking my coffee.

  80. Caffeine has never effected my sleep. But drinking water before bed, sure has.

  81. Sure me cutting coffee might benefit my grey matter, but it won’t help my co-workers and fellow motorists much. I think I’ll take one for the team and keep up my regimen.

  82. I drink coffee, since i was 30 years old, every day, no side effects. Now i m 20 and feel great!
    From Paris- England.

  83. 20 individuals in the study? That sounds like the statistical tests might be pretty low-powered and it sounds like they did several. Maybe we should ignore this until it’s replicated.

  84. This article was a waste of a read and time. It Didn’t explain anything, really!!

  85. I think it’s the poisonous fluoride that causes the issue not as much the caffeine. Remove fluoride it affects your brain and sleep and inhibits absorption of melatonin and iodine. Fluoride has been added to most of your coffees teas and drinks. Look up fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis and you will see the reason coffee stains your teeth is due to fluoride concentrations in it.

  86. Caffiene has a bit of racism, because GREY BRAINS MATTER 😉

  87. As a Colombian boy, I started the intake of coffee at the age of 4, drink that was combined with milk as my daily breakfast
    I 57 years old and an avid coffee drinker, 3 cups of coffee per day, speak 3 languages and play chess and my work is 100% mental activity with lots of math, calculations, translations and daily negotiations.
    I have never experienced any of the issues related in this study
    David

  88. At my age coffee is not a drug, it’s a vitamin.

  89. https://www.emedihealth.com/coffee-benefits-liver.html
    Study is too quick & too small, coffee is great for liver health, Parkinson’s, strokes and more..More pros than cons, p.s. organic coffee little to no pesticides worth the extra $$.

  90. Scan Down. There was another study titled Study Shows Caffeine Has a Positive Effects on Memory. Now, where is my Coffee.

  91. Tea contains lower levels of caffeine?

  92. We humans and our brains are not stamped out of a factory assembly line all the same. Each of our brains are different and are affected differently by our environs. Caffeine affects everyone differently. The one thing I took from this is that it reduces gray matter temporarily. More research is required to see how much comes back. Until then, I will happily continue my delicious morning habit. ~fin~

  93. Frances Johnson | June 7, 2021 at 4:54 pm | Reply

    Coffee is not the only source of caffeine in diets.

  94. I sweat Columbian. Sharp as a tac, shake like Michael J Fox

  95. I believe drinking coffee restrict the capillaries cousin gray matter eating celery can reverse the restriction and make the capillaries more soft so if I eat celery does it make me sleep better they should make a study about celery I wood like to see the findings they come up with

  96. Iam 34 yr old I’ve been consuming caffeine since I was an infant. I’m now caffeine dependent I can’t function without it. I have memory lose issues but they can’t say if it’s from caffeine or DV.. I wish there was a way to function without caffeine and feel normal..

  97. I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money (funded through taxes) were spent on this non-conclusive dumb study?

  98. Today’s generation don’t have anything better than to stir up hype like pandemic gasoline meat electric vehicles space planets. If you don’t have any white hairs experience I definitely ain’t listening to you

  99. Hands up if you are also sponsored by the coffee mafia!
    Arrr bad study, coffee good!

  100. There are quite a few opinions posted here. Some of the more entertaining ones are by those claiming to be intelligent, and subsequently forget to proofread. “Weather instead of whether”. “Breath instead of breathe”. “To instead of too”. And on and on….

    • Karen! Sorry I meant Lyndy! While I attempt to be grammatically correct I also sometimes fail. If you know enough to correct them then you know what they are trying to convey! Why not comment on the subject at hand?

  101. I think that any study on the brain where you have two different environmental or diet differences would be observable. Our body and mind adapt the best they can to both of those things. Whether the change is harmful or not is another study and would vary based on genetics, heredity, family history etc. I said all of that to say this! If you took 10 farmers from Iowa and 10 hedge fund managers from New York both having the exact same diet I would bet there would be an observable difference in gray matter. Is it worth wasting time and money doing research on the effects of caffeine? Probably no more than the difference between a farmer and a hedge fund manager. If it’s just for a news headline then I don’t have much of an argument. If it’s in the name of science and helping people maybe tackle cancer or a number of other things first.

  102. It’s been a long time since I studied these things, but shouldn’t this study have had a group with no placebo and no caffeine to compare both to?

  103. I begin every day with 600 mg of caffeine tablets and then two potent cups of coffee before I start the day. And I’ve only been institutionalized a few times, so I know there’s nothing wrong with caffeine.

  104. Bought to you by the tea companies 🤦🏼‍♀️

  105. Amazing how many people who read scientific literature or articles about it draw wildly unsupported conclusions from them. This article says zero, nada, about any conclusion regarding caffeine and the loss of memory or on intelligence levels. The study did not make any conclusions about that whatsoever. Yet, many write, “hey I’m smart and I drink a ton of coffee” as if that were remotely relevant to the study discussed in the article. The study suggests new questions about caffeine’s effect on brain matter, and the article puts that in lay language. Questions, not answers. That’s it.

  106. Who comes up with the stupid scientific studies anyway.

  107. Grey matter would indicate that the brain is dead! Purple matter would be that of a “live” person.

  108. ZMG Sarwar Jahangir | June 10, 2021 at 10:09 pm | Reply

    Could we know if the gray mater reduction is due to a reduction in the number of cell fibers or was it related to reduction in the neural cytoplasm? Also, what were the findings from EEG? Was there significant a delay or rise in neuronal firings due to caffeine intake?

  109. I say we just switch over to Cocaine,
    That will give them something worth reading, it worked great for Great Grandma,
    Somehow taking care of the kids, was much more enjoyable, I have no idea how….
    But common, we all have our own poison’s, none of them are good, it’s what it takes to manage a life full of surprises.

  110. I think more research needs to be done on ways caffeine is consumed as this could possibly also affect the brain differently. For example eating an apple is better for a person than to drink apple juice by how it digested. So the results of testing using just caffeine alone may be much different than as if someone ate a candy bar, energy drink or a cup of coffee.

  111. I consume caffeine regularly. I consume as much as 200mg in the morning,I get enough energy to last trough my whole day, and I still sleep significantly well.i fall asleep between 9-11 and sleep most of my night only awakening if I need to use the restroom.

  112. I would like to be part of the study, I dring between 4 to 6 coffees a day.

  113. I can drink 4-6 cans of energy drinks a day even have 1 right b4 bed and go straight to sleep. I have no problems with my cognitive processes and at 40 still have no problems trouble shooting complex situations at work on the fly. Been doin this since I was in my twenties

  114. Personally I’ve noticed caffeine (and other stimulants) act differently from person to person. As an example, I drink 1 energy drink when I wake up in the morning and so does my sister. She’ll be all over the place, unable to sit still or be quiet. I, on the other hand, will usually go back to bed and sleep another hour or so.

  115. Reverend Cook | June 17, 2021 at 4:47 pm | Reply

    I wondering how I can sign up for a study and if it’s paid. I drank anywhere from 6 to 12 cans of Rockstar endurance a day. Also took diet pills and drank a Rockstar endurance smoothie with pre-workout mix that I blended.

  116. David Hopkins | June 20, 2021 at 3:12 am | Reply

    Even the Cancel Culture scientists are hard at work spreading some good old fashion fear and trepidation. Drink a Monster, turn into one.

  117. Matt NotAddictedToCoffeLikeYou | June 23, 2021 at 1:43 pm | Reply

    I can see who the coffee drinkers in the comments are because they’re the ones who are cracked out denying the study. We understand you’re addicted but that doesn’t make the study false. Just stop drinking or get some help and stop being a crack addict.

  118. My grandma was always saying working has to drink coffee she died at 97 and I have to have stronger to feel awake in my 50s.

  119. D’après mon propre expérience l’impact de la caféine dépend de l’état de santé de chacun comme allergie, une psychose, maladie neurologique….ainsi la nature de l’organisme, et surtout le style de vie par exemple les gens qui ne dorment plus la nuit ont un problème d’horloge biologique et par conséquent la caféine affecte facilement leurs cycles du sommeil

  120. I’ve read other studies which have shown moderate improvement in cognition on moderate consumption of caffeine.
    It is known to stimulate dopamine and choline which help build new synapses. I wonder if the study had shown that the quality of synapses dropped after 10 days on caffeine when compared to 10 days on placebo.
    In real life, we can compare Arab wise men on caffeine with Indian Brahmanas on a diet without coffee or tea. We see that the Indian wise men and gurus have some deep thought indeed. Certainly, exaggeration in caffeine can damage not only grey matter but also heart and liver.

  121. Edison H Wong, MD | July 5, 2021 at 10:49 am | Reply

    If you look at the abstract (link provided by article), you see they mention a fudge factor “..Nonparametric voxel-based analyses revealed a significant reduction in GMV in the medial temporal lobe (mTL) after 10 days of caffeine intake compared with 10 days of placebo, voxel-wisely adjusted for CBF considering the decreased perfusion after caffeine intake compared with placebo…” In other words, reduced CBF will reduce GMV, but they “adjusted” for that by processing the data based on differences in CBF. We do not know if this adjustment may be what is yielding the significant difference or not. CBF measurements from fMRI is highly variable dependent on the conditions of measurement – time of day, what the person is thinking about, how fatigued they are from activities done earlier in day, if they are anxious about the MRI scan taking so long, etc. so it remains to be seen if findings can be duplicated or are a result of the fudge factor they used.

    Think of what is more plausible… easier to attribute reduction in GMV in 10 days to the effect of reduced CBF than actual structural changes, especially if easily reversed.

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