Caffeine users can become dependent on or addicted to caffeine and may have difficulty reducing their consumption.
Researchers have now described the prevalence of caffeine dependence, clinically relevant indicators of functional impairment among caffeine users, and the criteria for making a diagnosis of caffeine use disorder.
Steven Meredith and Roland Griffiths, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD), Laura Juliano, American University (Washington, DC), and John Hughes, University of Vermont (Burlington), reviewed the published research on caffeine dependence. In the article “Caffeine Use Disorder: A Comprehensive Review and Research Agenda.”
They posed an agenda for future research that would include clinical, epidemiologic, and genetic investigations to lead to a better understanding of the clinical signs and the prevalence of caffeine dependence, as well as the risk factors and best approaches for treating caffeine addiction.
The study is published in Journal of Caffeine Research.