The second annual Caffeinated Cities Survey was released earlier this year, which assessed local levels of caffeine consumption. The survey was conducted via telephone by Prince Market Research for HealthSaver and involved over 2,000 consumers in 20 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. It was designed to gather information about the amount and type of caffeine consumed in cities across the country to help understand the people’s attitudes about this most widely-used stimulant.

Evidence continues to accumulate that the most commonly consumed form of caffeine, coffee, has several health benefits for people who do not have heart problems or high blood pressure, including lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and colon cancer. It is likely that some of these benefits may be attributed to moderate caffeine consumption. However, coffee is not the only way to consume caffeine. The study also looked at other favorite ways that Americans obtain caffeine including caffeinated energy drinks, teas (green, black, and iced), colas, chocolate, and caffeine pills.

The top 5 cities in the U.S. for caffeine consumption are:

1. Tampa, FL. Tampa ranks second in tea consumption and fifth in coffee consumption among the cities on the list.
   
   
2. Seattle, WA. Not surprisingly, Seattle ranks first in consumption of coffee (including regular coffee and specialty drinks). Seattle also ranks first in chocolate consumption, and fourth in energy drink use, and is first in the proportion of people who admit being addicted to caffeine. Keeping Seattle from the top spot is the fifth lowest level of tea consumption on the list.
   
   
3. Chicago, IL. Chicago comes in third in chocolate consumption and fourth in cola drinking, but also tops the list with the highest proportion of respondents saying they were not addicted to caffeine.
   
   
4. New York, NY. New Yorkers drink the most tea of any city on the list, but also have the lowest cola consumption. Interestingly, people from New York are also the most likely to say that caffeine is good for you.
   
   
5. Los Angeles, CA. L.A. comes in fourth in coffee consumption and ties for fifth with Boston for admission of caffeine addiction.

Have a question about the health benefits or risks of caffeine-containing products? Ask the Experts at Healia Health Communities.

Related blog posts: Coffee Drinking Reduces Risk of Mouth and Throat Cancers by Half
Johns Hopkins Researchers Issue Warning about High Caffeine Levels in Energy Drinks

_{Source: HealthSaver Caffeinated Cities Survey, 01/09. http://www.affiniongroupmedia.com/themes/site_themes/affinionassets/releases/health_saver/08caffeine/media/National_RLS.pdf}

_{Photo: mararie, Flickr, Creative Commons}