Could your morning coffee simply be a placebo?

BOSTON - Many people say they can't start the day without a cup of coffee, a latte, or a mocha caramel macchiato but the mere act of drinking coffee, and not necessarily the caffeine itself, may be providing the mental boost we seek. 

Scientists in Portugal recruited people who drank at least one cup of coffee a day. They performed brain MRIs before and after either taking caffeine or drinking a standard cup of coffee. They found that both coffee and caffeine increase connectivity in brain pathways associated with alertness.

However, coffee alone promoted neural connections related to working memory and goal-directed behaviors, in other words making subjects more prepared for action. This suggests that the experience of drinking coffee, including perhaps the smell, taste, and anticipation of the beverage, may provide benefits beyond the caffeine alone.    

In:
• Health
• Coffee

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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