You know you're a) a nerd, and b) a caffeine addict when...
So I'm reading this paper:
Aschario A et al. "Prospective Study of Caffeine Consumption and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease in Men and Women." Ann Neurol 2001 (50): 56-63.
And in the methods section it says, "All of the questionnaires addressed the usual consumption during the previous 12 months of a specified amount (1 cup for coffees and tea, 1 glass for soft drinks, 1 ounce for chocolate) and allowed 9 possible response categories ranging from never to 6 or more per day. Intakes of nutrients and caffeine consumption were calculated, as described elsewhere,8 primarily using U.S. Department of Agriculture food composition sources. In these calculations, we assumed that the content of caffeine was 137 mg per cup of coffee, 47 mg per cup of tea, 46 mg per can or bottle of cola beverage, and 7 mg per serving of chocolate candy."
And I thought to myself, "Now, I wonder why they had people estimate how much caffeine was in a can of soda? I mean, 46 mg/can is a nice number, but Mountain Dew has 55 mg/can, so 46 mg/can wouldn't be an accurate measure for someone like me."
And then it hit me -- oh yeah, normal people don't go on the internet and research caffeinated beverages in order to optimize for caffeine content and taste.
Uh, the good news is that I'm significantly less likely to get Parkinson's than someone who doesn't drink absurd amounts of Mountain Dew. The bad news is that I'm apparently crazy.
Aschario A et al. "Prospective Study of Caffeine Consumption and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease in Men and Women." Ann Neurol 2001 (50): 56-63.
And in the methods section it says, "All of the questionnaires addressed the usual consumption during the previous 12 months of a specified amount (1 cup for coffees and tea, 1 glass for soft drinks, 1 ounce for chocolate) and allowed 9 possible response categories ranging from never to 6 or more per day. Intakes of nutrients and caffeine consumption were calculated, as described elsewhere,8 primarily using U.S. Department of Agriculture food composition sources. In these calculations, we assumed that the content of caffeine was 137 mg per cup of coffee, 47 mg per cup of tea, 46 mg per can or bottle of cola beverage, and 7 mg per serving of chocolate candy."
And I thought to myself, "Now, I wonder why they had people estimate how much caffeine was in a can of soda? I mean, 46 mg/can is a nice number, but Mountain Dew has 55 mg/can, so 46 mg/can wouldn't be an accurate measure for someone like me."
And then it hit me -- oh yeah, normal people don't go on the internet and research caffeinated beverages in order to optimize for caffeine content and taste.
Uh, the good news is that I'm significantly less likely to get Parkinson's than someone who doesn't drink absurd amounts of Mountain Dew. The bad news is that I'm apparently crazy.