crane@fortune.UUCP (11/03/83)
Thank you for the information. There are are probably a lot of people who would counter these arguments by saying that they really enjoy coffee and that it hasn't hurt them and they have been drinking it for umpteen years. Fine, let them continue using it. I don't think anybody could convince them otherwise, and it's not worth the effort to try. But, I wonder how many people drink coffee simply out of habit without any idea of its potentially harmful effects. Or how about people who drink it simply because there is nothing else around to drink. It seems to me that employers could be a lot more concerned about providing alternative drinks in the workplace.
debenedi@yale-com.UUCP (Robert DeBenedictis) (11/15/83)
A recent article concerning caffeine had the
following information.
DRINKS MILLIGRAMS PER 12 OZ.
Coke 65
Tab 50
Pepsi 43
Mountain Dew 55
These facts do not jive with those in an issue of
Consumers Report from about 20 months ago.
Particularly, coke was rated as having ~34 mg. and
pepsi was rated as having ~37 mg.
"Now, You're Never Alone"
Another Message In The Bottle from
Robert DeBenedictisfulk@sunybcs.UUCP (Mark Fulk) (11/17/83)
The original article on caffeine suggested drinking herbal teas as a substitute during pregnancy. People who saw that article should be warned that many herbal teas contain teratogens (birth-defect producing substances) that are much more powerful than caffeine. In particular, one should carefully avoid teas containing chamomile, ginseng, spearmint, and wintergreen. It would probably be a good idea to avoid any tea claiming medicinal effects as those effects are provided by powerful, ill-characterized drugs in the tea; there has never been a careful study of the teratogenic potential of herbs so caution is advisable. My wife is pregnant now; she not only avoids coffee, tea, and soda (and has greatly reduced her chocolate intake); she also avoids all herbal teas and honey (which has also been implicated in birth defects - not from the glucose, but from the impurities). When she wants a hot drink she drinks hot apple cider (sweet, not hard) or hot water. She accepts that when she's tired, she should sleep, and doesn't try to artifically alter her mood. I'm so glad she being so careful, that I follow the same rules myself most of the time, and I haven't felt better in years! Incidentally, the world is full of restrictive advice for pregnant women; it is very difficult for a woman to remain happy while avoiding various foods, drinks, and delicacies if her spouse/friend/significant other/co-parent is whooping it up at the bar or otherwise enjoying things she has forgone. Husbands/co-parents should observe the same restrictions their wives/etc. do just for solidarity. -- Mark Fulk Department of Computer Science fulk.buffalo@udel-relay SUNY at Buffalo ...!rocksvax!sunybcs!fulk 4226 Ridge Lea Rd. (716)831-3061 Amherst, NY 14226