"People consuming as little as 100mg (1 cup) of caffeine a day had withdrawal symptoms" ~ New England Journal of Medicine

Two cups of coffee may raise blood pressure to levels equal to one cigarette, but it keeps it there for 1 – 2 hours, vs. just 15 minutes for smoking (American Journal of Medicine.) Caffeine can increase the heart rate, may cause frequent irregular beats, can raise blood cholesterol, and may accelerate blood clotting leading to a heart attack.  2 – 3 cups raises blood pressure for 3 hours (American Journal of Hypertension.)

According to researcher Dr. Gail Bernstein, 77% of children over 6 months old ingest caffeine regularly. Journal of Child/Adol Psychology March 1994

A cup of coffee reduces iron absorption by 39%, and a cup of tea will reduce it by 64%. Drip coffee will lower iron absorption by 72%, while doubling coffee’s strength will reduce it by 91% American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

In 1980 the Food and Drug Administration removed caffeine from the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list.

Caffeine stimulates the brain cortex, and can cause poor balance, racing heart, insomnia, racing and disconnected thoughts, poor memory, fatigue, restless leg syndrome, hand tremors, anxiety, and dread, hostility, sleep disturbances, headaches, hyperexcitability, irritability, agitation, anxiety & dehydration.

Caffeine triples the risk of pancreatic cancer (3C/day)1, doubles fatal bladder cancer risk (2C/day)2, raises colon cancer risk by 250% (2C/day)3, raises risk of fibrocystic disease (3C/day) 4, increases breast cancer risk (3C/day)4, Increases ovarian cancer risk (2C/day) 5, Doubles female bladder cancer risk (1/Cday) 6.

1. New England Journal of Medicine 2. American Journal of Public Health 3. Family Practice News 4. Surgery 86: 104 – 109 5.International Journal of Cancer 6. Medical World

Each 10 mg. of caffeine consumed causes a 1 mg calcium loss in the bones. This effects children as well as adults. One study showed that calcium loss actually doubled in 133 of 135 subjects who used caffeine. Additionally phosphoric acid in soft drinks can damage developing bones by taking calcium from them. American Journal of Epidemiology

Chlorogenic acid in coffee causes some of the most intense food allergies encountered in medical practice. JAMA

Heavy tea drinkers often have vitamin B deficiencies, and tannin, a chemical component of tea, has been shown to interfere with iron absorption. This can cause fatigue & listlessness . Tannin has also been linked to stomach cancer.While all methylxanthines (class of toxic alkaloid chemicals) are harmful to the thyroid, tea is highest in theophylline, which is the most damaging to the thyroid. Endocrinology

Caffeine stresses the pancreas and compounds diabetes by raising the blood sugar levels 1 Caffeine can be considered a risk factor in the production of diabetes 2. Coffee makes diabetes much worse in mouse experiment 1. Lancet 2. JAMA

300mg per day retarded fetal growth 300 mg per day during month before pregnancy nearly doubled spontaneous abortions (SAB) risk. Just 163 mg. a day during the first trimester may double SAB risk. JAMA

Infants of caffeine-using mother have higher rates of apnea (stop breathing for short periods). American Journal of Ob/Gyn

Caffeine may be a triggering factor for insulin-dependent diabetes in childhood. British Medical Journal

Caffeine can damage chromosomes in humans; increases the chance of birth defects. Cancer Research

200 mg decreases placental blood flow Journal of Reproductive Medicine

Young rats given decaffeinated coffee had a significantly retarded growth rate. (Life & Health) Even decaffeinated coffee has hundreds of potentially harmful chemical components. One class of these compounds is caffeols, which are coffee oils that are very irritating to the gastrointestinal tract. In addition many other chemicals which have been linked to cancer and heart disease are still present as are other central nervous system stimulants 1. Even decaffeinated coffee contains more than 700 volatile chemicals such as acetaldehyd, ammonia, carbon disulfide, acetic acid, nitrosamines and others. 1. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2. Caffeine Coffee and Health, Garattini, Silvio

More Information concerning the health concerns for caffeine consumption can be found in the booklet "Calamity in a Cup".