title: Caffeine: Friend or Foe?
abstract: The debate on the safety of and regulatory approaches for caffeine continues among various stakeholders and regulatory authorities. This decision-making process comes with significant challenges, particularly when considering the complexities of the available scientific data, making the formulation of clear science-based regulatory guidance more difficult. To allow for discussions of a number of key issues, the North American Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) convened a panel of subject matter experts for a caffeine-focused session entitled "Caffeine: Friend or Foe?," which was held during the 2015 ILSI Annual Meeting. The panelists' expertise covered topics ranging from the natural occurrence of caffeine in plants and interindividual metabolism of caffeine in humans to specific behavioral, reproductive, and cardiovascular effects related to caffeine consumption. Each presentation highlighted the potential risks, benefits, and challenges that inform whether caffeine exposure warrants concern. This paper aims to summarize the key topics discussed during the session.
authors.affiliation: ToxStrategies, Inc., Austin, Texas 78759; email: cdoepker@toxstrategies.com.
authors.forename: Candace
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doepker
authors.affiliation: US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts 01760; email: harris.r.lieberman.civ@mail.mil.
authors.forename: Harris R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lieberman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AS, United Kingdom; email: smithap@cardiff.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew Paul
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104; email: jennifer-peck@ouhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada; email: a.el.sohemy@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Sohemy
authors.affiliation: ToxStrategies, Inc., Austin, Texas 78759; email: cdoepker@toxstrategies.com.
authors.forename: Brian T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Welsh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000187:drug effects; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002110:Caffeine
keywords: behavior; benefits; cardiovascular; pharmacology; regulation; reproductive