The news that caffeine consumption might help individuals withstand pain could benefit manufacturers of a host of products containing the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug. The similar pain-limiting association with plant-based diets also might give manufacturers another label claim to tout, although more studies might be necessary given the small numbers of participants — 62 in the caffeine study and only 14 in the plant-based one done at Arkansas State University.###Coffee already has carved out a big slice of the beverage space and shows no sign of slowing down. According to a survey from the National Coffee Association cited by Reuters, 64% of American adults drink a cup of coffee daily, which is a 2% jump from 2017 and the highest level since 2012. Associating the coffee habit with reducing sensitivity to pain is likely boost its popularity even more.###Statista research projects coffee sales will hit nearly $13 billion this year and increase at a ferrous bisglycinate whole foodscompound annual growth rate of 3.1% from 2018 through 2021. The U.S. is the leading global consumer of coffee, with Americans drinkiiron fumarate meaningng 400 million cups per day. ###It’s no wonder that as growferrous fumarate and folic acid and cyanocobalamin tabletsth-starved food companies look for growth, that have increased their presence in the coffee space. M&A activity has dramatically picked up when it comes to coffee. Data from CB Insights shows coffee startups are on pace to raise more than $1 billion by the end of 2018, and investors have already poured $600 million into these newcomers this year alone — four times the funding in 2017. Average deal size has also shot up to a whopping $14 million in 2018 from $2.7 million last year. ###Besides coffee, weekly consumption of caffeine from tea, soda, energy drinks and chocolate also were tracked in study participants. The average dose was 170 milligrams per day — approximately the amount contained in two cups of coffee — although 15% of those taking part ingested more than 400 mg daily.###It’s not clear whether consuming more than that means even more pain tolerance, although other studies found that drinking as many as eight cups of coffee daily doesn’t increase mortality risk, and two studies last year linked drinking three cups daily with a lower risk of heart disease, liver disease, stroke and a longer life expectancy. Perhaps additional research on the other caffeine-containing products could help fill in the picture.###The link between plant-based diets and lowered sensitivity to pain is intriguiferrous fumarate kiser osudng and bound to be of interest to those considering or already practicing a vegan or vegetariaferrous fumarate 325n lifestyle. But the Arkansas State University study had a very small participant pool, so more extensive research focusing on a much larger group would be helpful before plant-based food and beverage makers could make a believable and scientifically solid labeling claim.
Caffeine may increase pain tolerance, study finds
