It’s a pretty common idea grabbing a caffeinated beverage throughout the day can help a person re-energize. Also floating around are so many misconceptions in relation to caffeine and what it does for the body.

WebMD, a popular health website, created a list of the most common caffeine related myths and reduced it down to the top eight.

Ruth Litchfield, associate professor in food science and human nutrition, and clinician Sally Barclay took a look at the list and offered their expert health opinions.

Myth No. 1: Caffeine is addictive.

“Caffeine is not an addiction but a physical dependence,” Barclay said. “There will be ‘withdrawal’ symptoms like headaches and difficulty concentrating, if you go ‘cold turkey’ and do not gradually reduce consumption.”

WebMD also cites fatigue, anxiety and irritability as symptoms from caffeine withdrawal. 

Myth No. 2: Caffeine can cause insomnia.

This statement definitely has some truth as many people drink coffee in the morning in order to wake up. Barclay advised not consuming anything caffeinated within six hours of bedtime.

“Because it is a stimulant to the central nervous system, it can interfere with sleep,” Litchfield said.

Myth No. 3: Caffeine increases risk for conditions such as osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer.

This myth, although scary, really only seems to be in relation to large consumptions of caffeine daily. Litchfield said there was not enough adequate scientific research to prove it.

“Caffeine is relatively safe at moderate levels, meaning less than 300 milligrams a day. At much higher amounts, it can cause loss of calcium and magnesium but not necessarily bone loss, depending on the amount of calcium,” Barclay said.

“Caffeine does not seem to increase a risk for cardiovascular disease, there is no cause for an increase in cholesterol or irregular heartbeat, but it may slightly increase blood pressure,” she said. “However there’s no real studies linking caffeine and cancer.”

Myth No. 4: Caffeine is harmful for women trying to get pregnant.

Although for many college aged individuals, pregnancy may not be a current goal, but for future reference it might be something to be concerned about.

“There has been some research to suggest that, but there’s also been research that does not support that,” Litchfield said. “I do not think that that myth is as clear cut at this point in time.”

Myth No. 5: Caffeine has a dehydrating effect.

This could go both ways, depending on how much a person consumes regularly.

“It depends on the person,” Litchfield said. “For someone who’s not accustomed to having caffeine on a regular basis, it can dehydrate you.”

Myth No. 6: Caffeine can harm children.

“Because you can have withdrawal and because there have been things like arrhythmias or [harmful] blood pressure, it can be a concern,” Litchfield said.

“Some kids can tolerate [caffeine] just as well as adults, but some may be more sensitive to effects and experience increased excitability,” Barclay said. “But should kids really be consuming caffeine? It offers no nutritional benefits to them and may just add ‘empty calories.’”

Myth No. 7: Caffeine can help people sober up.

Something some ISU students may relate to is the Friday morning after “Thirsty Thursday.” Some students move more slowly than others, but experts are not buying this myth either.

“Caffeine does not help sober you up; only time can do that,” Barclay said. “As a stimulant it may give the person who consumes it the perception that they are less impaired but that is not the case. Reaction time and judgment from alcohol consumption are still impaired.”

“It depends on what else you’ve eaten. I think in certain cases yes, but in certain cases probably not,” Litchfield said.

Myth No. 8: Caffeine has no health benefits.

This statement can be argued, as many studies have shown positive attributes of caffeine. WebMD states that there is some limited evidence that caffeine helps prevent Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, colorectal cancer, Type 2 diabetes and dementia, but there are few proven health benefits.

Barclay says that although the benefits of caffeine are still being studied, there are a few facts that are known.

“Some caffeine beverages such as coffee and tea do offer antioxidants which may be beneficial for heart and cancer prevention,” Barclay said.

Litchfield, on the other hand, said people do not need it to survive.

“You don’t need it to be healthy, and it does have some adverse effects,” Litchfield said.