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Caffeine may help nightshift performance

LONDON, May 12 (UPI) -- British researchers say caffeine can help reduce driving and other errors by night-shift workers.

Cochrane researchers reviewed 13 studies on the impact caffeine -- ingested through coffee, pills, energy drinks or caffeinated food -- on the performance in workers on night shifts.

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The review found caffeine appeared to reduce errors during neuropsychological tests aimed at memory, attention, perception and reasoning compared with placebos or naps.

Lead researcher Katharine Ker of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says none of the studies measured injuries directly, but improved performance on the tests may translate into a reduced number of injuries caused by sleepiness, the researchers said.

"It seems reasonable to assume that reduced errors are associated with fewer injuries although we cannot quantify such a reduction," Ker said in a statement.

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