Can decaffeinated coffee ease caffeine withdrawal? (April 2024)

Have you considered giving up coffee, or simply reducing your daily intake, but are putting it off because you dread going through caffeine withdrawal? Decaffeinated coffee may be an unexpected tool to help you make the transition.

Research from the University of Sydney, published last year in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, found that when participants experiencing symptoms of caffeine withdrawal—such as headache, fatigue, irritability, and bad mood—drank decaf coffee, their symptoms diminished whether or not they knew they were drinking decaf.

In the study, 61 heavy coffee drinkers (consuming three or more cups a day) went without caffeine for 24 hours before having their withdrawal symptoms measured. The participants were then split into three groups. Two groups were given decaf coffee—with one group told they were drinking decaf, and the other group told they were drinking real caffeinated coffee—and the third group was given water.

After 45 minutes, all groups were asked to rate their withdrawal symptoms. The group that falsely believed they were drinking caffeinated coffee reported a big reduction in symptoms even though they didn’t actually consume caffeine. They experienced a placebo effect—because they believed they were consuming caffeine, their withdrawal symptoms lessened as if they really were.

What’s interesting is that the group that knew they were only drinking decaf coffee also reported a decrease in withdrawal symptoms, albeit to a lesser degree. They experienced what is known as an “open label placebo effect.” This is when someone experiences the placebo effect even when they know they are receiving a placebo.

Before participants were given their beverages, they were asked which beverages they thought would reduce caffeine withdrawal the most. Their top pick was caffeinated coffee, not surprisingly, but they erroneously thought water would decrease their withdrawal symptoms more than decaf coffee would.

The study demonstrated that someone could drink decaf to help ease the worst of their withdrawal effects simply because coffee drinkers are conditioned to associated the taste and smell of coffee with reduction of withdrawal symptoms.

We tend to believe that our body needs a certain amount of caffeine to function optimally especially when we are used to drinking a specific amount, but this study suggests that’s not completely true. So if you’re a caffeinated coffee drinker and have considered reducing your consumption, now you now have some useful information to help guide your decision.

Reference:

Decaf Kills Coffee withdrawal symptoms, February 14, 2023. https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/02/14/decaf-kills-coffee-withdrawal-symptoms.html