The Impact of Lockdowns on Caffeine Consumption: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

Energy drink consumption and sleep parameters in college and university students: a national cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the frequency of energy drink (ED) consumption, and the association between ED consumption and selected sleep characteristics and parameters in Norwegian college and university students. We also explored whether these associations varied based on sex.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Data were gathered from the SHOT2022 study (Students' Health and Well-being Study), a national survey.

PARTICIPANTS

53 266 students, aged 18-35 years, enrolled in higher education in Norway (2022).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Estimated marginal means were computed from general linear models investigating the association between ED consumption and continuous sleep outcomes, while log-link binomial regression analysis was used for dichotomous sleep outcomes of sleep measures. All models were adjusted for age.

RESULTS

Among the participants, 4.7% of men and 3.3% of women reported consuming ED daily. The frequency of ED consumption was inversely associated with sleep duration and sleep efficiency, while a direct association was observed with the frequency of ED consumption and sleep patterns such as sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset across sexes. The strongest association was found between daily ED consumption and short sleep duration where men had a risk ratio (RR) of 2.07; 95% CI 1.77 to 2.42, and women had a RR of 1.87; 95% CI 1.64 to 2.14.

CONCLUSION

ED consumption was a strong determinant for negative sleep outcomes. Even small amounts of ED were associated with poorer sleep outcomes, which warrant more attention towards the consequences of consuming ED among college and university students.

Loneliness Is Associated With Problematic Internet Use but Not With the Frequency of Substance Use: A Czech Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the associations between loneliness and the frequency of substance use and problematic Internet use (PIU) in different age groups. Methods: Data were collected in April 2021 from a sample of 1,293 participants with main characteristics close to a nationally representative sample (mean age = 50.1 ± 15.4 years; 56% male). We measured loneliness with the Three-Item Loneliness Scale (TILS), PIU with the General Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 (GPIUS-2) and the frequency of drugs, alcohol, smoking or caffeine consumption. Spearman's correlation, the t-test, and one-way and multivariate linear regression models were used to analyze the data. Results: In our study, 43.8% of respondents reported moderate to severe levels of loneliness. Loneliness was associated with the severity of PIU [F (3, 1,277) = 15.25, p < 0.001], with higher loneliness corresponding to higher PIU. No significant relationship was found between loneliness and drugs, alcohol, smoking or caffeine consumption. Conclusion: Regardless of age, loneliness is associated with PIU but not with the frequency of substance use. Professional help for lonely people should focus on problematic Internet use in all age groups.

The effect of coffee and black tea consumption on sleep bruxism intensity based on polysomnographic examination

Background

Sleep bruxism (SB) is a common behavior that can result in various clinical consequences on human health. Risk factors for SB include among others emotional stress, anxiety, tobacco smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Coffee and black tea are among the most commonly consumed beverages worldwide. This study explores the influence of coffee and black tea consumption on bruxism intensity, as observed in polysomnographic examination.

Methods

Polysomnographic examination with simultaneous camera recording was conducted in 106 adult subjects. The results were evaluated according to guidelines set out by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). The study group was divided according to habitual stimulant usage, as declared by the participants in a self-reported questionnaire. Four groups were identified: coffee drinkers versus non-drinkers and black tea drinkers versus non-drinkers.

Results

The bruxism episode index (BEI) was increased in coffee-drinkers as opposed to non-drinkers (4.59 ± 3.44 vs. 2.87 ± 1.50, p = 0.011). Sleep fragmentation, measured according to the arousal index, was comparable in coffee drinkers and non-drinkers. Electrolyte and lipid levels were similar in coffee drinkers and non-drinkers. Habitual black tea intake did not affect sleep architecture or bruxism intensity.

Conclusions

The study showed that habitual coffee consumption is a risk factor for the increased intensity of sleep bruxism. Neither coffee nor tea consumption is related to sleep fragmentation in habitual drinkers. Coffee and tea intake does not affect electrolyte and lipid concentrations. Caution should therefore be recommended in drinking coffee in people with sleep bruxism.

Occurrence of emerging contaminants in surface water bodies of a coastal province in Ecuador and possible influence of tourism decline caused by COVID-19 lockdown

Emerging contaminants in water bodies is an issue of concern due to their impact on the ecosystem and human health. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the implementation of protective measures such as social distancing, lockdowns, and remote work, which have affected the tourism influx. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of emerging pollutants in bodies of water in Esmeraldas, a coastal province of Ecuador, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a highly touristic region. For this purpose, surface waters from 14 beaches and ten river mouths were sampled at two-time points in November 2019 and November 2020. Compounds widely consumed in Ecuador: acetaminophen, caffeine, sodium diclofenac, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole were extracted from water samples by solid phase extraction SPE and detected with a UPLC-QTOF-MS system. We found a decrease in the occurrence of caffeine from 100 % to 4.2 % of caffeine and 25 % to 0 % of diclofenac, likely related to the decline in tourist afflux due to the lockdown measures. Most of the compounds diminished in terms of frequency and/or concentration; however, as COVID-19 treatments make use of different pharmaceutical compounds such as antivirals, antibiotics, antiparasitics, or glucocorticoids, future studies should include these to assess their environmental impact.

The causal association between smoking initiation, alcohol and coffee consumption, and women's reproductive health: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Objective: A number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated that smoking initiation and alcohol and coffee consumption were closely related to women's reproductive health. However, there was still insufficient evidence supporting their direct causality effect. Methods: We utilized two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis with summary datasets from genome-wide association study (GWAS) to investigate the causal relationship between smoking initiation, alcohol and coffee consumption, and women's reproductive health-related traits. Exposure genetic instruments were used as variants significantly related to traits. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main analysis approach, and we also performed MR-PRESSO, MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode to supplement the sensitivity test. Then, the horizontal pleiotropy was detected by using MRE intercept and MR-PRESSO methods, and the heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q statistics. Results: We found evidence that smoking women showed a significant inverse causal association with the sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels (corrected β = -0.033, p = 9.05E-06) and age at menopause (corrected β = -0.477, p = 6.60E-09) and a potential positive correlation with the total testosterone (TT) levels (corrected β = 0.033, p = 1.01E-02). In addition, there was suggestive evidence for the alcohol drinking effect on the elevated TT levels (corrected β = 0.117, p = 5.93E-03) and earlier age at menopause (corrected β = -0.502, p = 4.14E-02) among women, while coffee consumption might decrease the female SHBG levels (corrected β = -0.034, p = 1.33E-03). Conclusion: Our findings suggested that smoking in women significantly decreased their SHBG concentration, promoted earlier menopause, and possibly reduced the TT levels. Alcohol drinking had a potential effect on female higher TT levels and earlier menopause, while coffee consumption might lead to lower female SHBG levels.