Discoveries

March 09, 2023

Fooling the Brain

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For many people, not having a shot of coffee in the morning can lead to caffeine withdrawal and its concomitant headaches, fatigue, and depressive mood.

Recently, however, scientists found that decaffeinated coffee can stop those caffeine withdrawal symptoms, regardless of whether the individual knows their cup is real coffee or decaf, according to Cosmos magazine.

In a new study, researchers asked 61 coffee drinkers – all individuals who drank three or more cups a day – to go without for 24 hours.

Researchers then separated these individuals into three groups. One group was told they were drinking decaf, another was given decaf but was told they were drinking real coffee, and the third control group was given water.

The volunteers then had to report their withdrawal symptoms 45 minutes after consuming the beverages.

Lead author Llewellyn Mills explained that the second group – those deceived – reported a big drop in caffeine withdrawal “even though there’s no pharmacological reason why it should.”

“Because they expected their withdrawal to go down, it did go down,” he added. “In other words, a placebo effect.”

Mills added that participants who knew they were drinking decaf also reported a reduction in withdrawal symptoms but to a lesser extent than the placebo group.

Those who drank water reported no reduction, however.

The team said their study is analyzing the processes involved in drug addiction in general to develop better treatments that include placebo effects.

This story originally appeared in the March 09, 2023 newsletter, S.O.S..