Employees who regularly use the office coffee machine at work have been advised
their favourite hot drink is the most popular stimulant in the
world.
According to Professor Merlin Thomas of the
Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, coffee is more widely
used as a stimulant than any other substance.
Writing for The Conversation, he commented:
"It's widely viewed as a tonic with revitalising qualities - each
cup making us feel better."
However, Professor Thomas downplayed the
findings of various studies that suggested coffee can have a number
of positive effects on a person's health.
Indeed, he said that making somebody feel better is not necessarily
the same as actually being good for a person's body.
Professor Thomas added that regular coffee
drinkers can often get hooked on the hot beverage and even suffer
withdrawal symptoms if they have to go without for any extended
period of time.
He was speaking after a study carried out at
Sweden's Karolinska Institute, published in Breast Cancer Research
journal, suggested coffee may help women avoid getting some strains
of breast cancer.