The millions of people who depend on coffee are barking up the wrong tree.
A cup of coffee, suggests a study, only counteracts the effects of caffeine withdrawal that has built up overnight.
“Someone who consumes caffeine regularly when they’re at work but not at weekends runs the risk of feeling a bit rubbish by Sunday,” said Peter Rogers, who led the research at Bristol University. “It’s better to stick with it or keep off it altogether.”
Caffeine did not increase the alertness of any group above the levels of non-users who were given the placebo.