HEALTH : One-Cuppers Can Suffer, Too

People who drink only one cup of coffee or two cans of cola daily can experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms ranging from headaches to moodiness and nausea, researchers say.

Scientists have long recognized that heavy coffee drinkers are subject to withdrawal symptoms. But a new study has found unpleasant side effects when people with low-caffeine habits suddenly are denied the stimulant.

“Previous studies documented the caffeine withdrawals under substantially higher doses,” said Dr. Roland Griffiths, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who led the study.

“The general consensus of scientific opinion would have been that withdrawal might not have occurred at these low doses,” he said. “We were astonished.”