Caffeine research: Read the fine print

Here's an example of how journalists sometimes inflate the conclusions of small research projects: A study on caffeine is being reported as suggesting that small doses of coffee throughout the day work better to stimulate alertness than a large mug of coffee in the morning. "Spread Out Your Coffee Breaks" advises one headline.

But that’s not what the study examined.

The researchers tested hourly small doses of caffeine against a placebo, or sugar pill -- not against one large dose. There were only 16 men and no women in the study, another limitation on the results.

But "Caffeine Beats Placebo" isn't such a great headline. I'm not going to change my coffee-drinking habits just yet.