Caffeine

Loaded with caffeine and taurine to stimulate the central nervous system, energy drinks have become the go-to solution when you need a quick, energizing pick-me-up. But sometimes energy isn't what you need. Concentration and attention can start to fade in the face of those midafternoon doldrums and a host of distractions. Something to perk up the mind and enhance focus would do the trick. Some beverage manufacturers say they have just the solution.

A cup of coffee on the house Need a caffeine pit stop while shopping? How about a free one? Today, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stores will serve free 12-ounce "holiday drinks" from 5 to 8 p.m. (Think Holiday Blend coffees, Peppermint Ice Blends and Winter Dream Tea.)

New research may once again shift the advice given to pregnant women about the potential risks of a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. Two reports, both from the UK, are the largest and most rigorous studies on low levels of alcohol or caffeine to date. The verdicts? Limited alcohol consumption is not so bad, while regular caffeine intake is worse than we thought. In the alcohol study, researchers conducted in-person interviews with 12,495 new moms whose babies were 9 months old.

Energy drinks are the target of many complaints: too much sugar, too much caffeine and too many herbal extracts with dubious claims. Now, researchers say the drinks may lead to drug abuse. In a paper published online last month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins' School of Medicine in Baltimore and his coauthors highlighted the risks of consuming too much caffeine via energy drinks, including caffeine toxicity and dependence.

Energy beverages can have 10 times the caffeine of soft drinks, or even more, prompting scientists at Johns Hopkins University to recommend that product labels list the content and warn about health risks. Energy drinks are sold as dietary supplements, and the Food and Drug Administration doesn't limit their caffeine content or require warnings. A typical 12-ounce soft drink contains about 35 milligrams of caffeine, while some energy drinks have as much as 500 milligrams, said the researchers in the journal Drugs and Alcohol Dependence.

Recently, one of my colleagues, a pediatric gastroenterologist, told me about a teenage boy who had come to see him because of severe stomach pain he'd had for about two months. The boy had been referred by his primary care doctor, who had evaluated him for several possible causes, including infections and ulcers. That doctor had also recommended or prescribed a variety of medications to relieve the pain, but to no avail. The specialist performed an endoscopy, in which a camera is inserted into a patient's esophagus and down into the stomach and upper part of the small intestine.

Have YOU ever wished that Starbucks had a kids' crafts table to keep your toddler occupied while you sipped your coffee? Your wish may have just come true. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30, Scribble Press -- the 8-week-old arts spot in the Westside Pavilion -- hosts free drop-in "Coffee and Coloring" sessions during which preschoolers get some solid crayon time and the grown-ups can indulge in caffeine and conversation. But beyond coloring, Scribble Press also lets kids write, illustrate and ultimately publish their own books -- a sort of Color Me Mine for the pen-and-paper set. And if your child is more of an artist than an author, he or she can create greeting cards and notepads.

Anheuser-Busch Cos. said Thursday that it would stop producing and distributing energy drinks that contained both alcohol and caffeine and often other stimulants. Attorneys general from California and 10 other states announced that the St. Louis-based company, the nation's largest brewer, would reformulate its Tilt and Bud Extra products.

Brewers Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Miller Brewing Co. said several U.S. state attorneys general have demanded information on how they market and sell caffeinated alcoholic drinks. Anheuser, with beer brands including Budweiser and Bud Light, said attorneys general of New York, Maine, Maryland, Arizona and Iowa had subpoenaed it about the sale and marketing of its Tilt and Bud Extra products, which are malt beverages with caffeine.

Caffeine consumption by pregnant women can significantly increase the risk of miscarriage, according to new research. The study, involving more than 1,000 pregnant California women, provides the most convincing evidence to date of such a link, the researchers said. Research previously indicated an increased risk, but scientists were unsure whether those findings were affected by the fact that women having morning sickness might be less likely to drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages.