CAFFEINE AND 'PEPTIC' ULCER

In this paper evidence will be presented which strongly indicates that the excessive use of caffeinecontaining beverages may contribute to the pathogenesis of "peptic" ulcer in the ulcer-susceptible individual, may aggravate an ulcer already existing and may render the therapeutic management of the condition more difficult. Preliminary studies on ulcer patients suggest the use of a caffeine test meal in the diagnosis of peptic ulcer based on the prolonged secretory curve when the response to caffeine is expressed as the total output of free acid. Additional evidence suggests that a prolonged gastric secretory response to caffeine may provide a method for the detection of those persons who are predisposed to the development of "peptic" ulcer. LITERATURE Smoking and the consumption of alcoholic beverages have been interdicted in the management of "peptic" ulcer patients by internists for many years. The consumption of caffeine-containing beverages has not, as a rule, been restricted