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Comment by hanniabu | Hacker News Reader

Theory as to why this is: caffeine boosts serotonin and serotonin increases guy motility. The faster the food transits, the less you can absorb and you lose weight. Higher levels of serotonin also reduce sugar craving.

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It's dopamine related, same as other stimulants.

Would this also apply to SSRI medication?

Yes, SSRIs are actually commonly prescribed for IBS. Something like 90% of the serotonin in your body is in your gut. Psychedelics like Shrooms and LSD, which mimic serotonin, completely cut off appetite. The effects of SSRIs on weight are various. Serotonergic drugs are a huge class, it's hard to classify their effects, but primarily they are gastrointenstinal and psychological. All I know is that I've taken enough acid now where even caffeine makes me trip out a little. Still drinking green tea though. There's some anxiolytic compound in there, L-theanine, which mitigates the negative effects of caffeine use.

Most caffeine ingestion seems to be in the form of sugary coffee or energy drinks.

My coffee is black like my soul

Where are you getting that data from? Sure, a lot of people like some sugar in their coffee, but I’d definitely be hesitant to call it most people, off the cuff. I prefer just enough cream to change the color visibly, or black. No sugar. I’d say 80% of my friends also don’t want sugar.

It is certainly possible. However if you figure that each office worker drinks 2 cups a day at the office, and most don't get Star Bucks more than once per week, most coffee is still not some crazy sugar consumption.

How energy drinks etc fits in here, I don't know.

I just put a little half and half in my coffee. Or have unsweetened iced tea. Or diet soda (which I should really stop having).

not coffee? I go through a pot of black every day.

coffee doesn't need to be sugary.

My anecdotal sampling of orders at a coffee shop says it is common.

Depends what country. In Australia I’ve not seen anyone ever put sugar in coffee. I’d say the vast majority order a flat white which is an espresso with foamed milk, no added sugar, and the rest get “an espresso” which is just a raw shot with nothing added.

Coffee shops are not representative of everyone's routine coffee consumption.

By my anecdotal sampling a good portion of the population would never pay coffee shop prices for what they drink daily to function.

I rarely buy coffee at a shop and make at home. Even at the shop, I'm the person who gets drip coffee, black.

The fact that they have a big pot tells me there are others who get drip coffee.

When I buy fivebucks coffee, sure I get a sweet drink.

But 99% of my consumption is my own cold brew. No sugar, brewed very strong, and then with just enough milk to bring out the flavor.

what city is your fivebucks in? It’s like sevenbucks in my city now

:D Yah, it's more like sevenbucks now here, too. That tells you how frequently I consume it...

Plus tips ;)

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