Caffeine can kill you. Scientists warn about the overdosing
5:14 PM EDT, October 20, 2023
Caffeine is one of the most commonly used psychoactive substances in the world. It can be legally purchased in the form of beans or leaves to prepare a beverage – coffee, tea, guarana, or Yerba maté. Contrary to appearances, it's very easy to overdose on it, and according to scientists, the effects of this can be worse than we think.
According to recent research published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, human genes help regulate the amount of coffee consumed. This is to protect us from overdosing on caffeine. At the same time, we can say that drinking this beverage is encoded in our genes and the body has learned not to overdo it.
Scientists have observed that people with health problems such as arrhythmia, high blood pressure, or angina pectoris, rarely drink coffee. If they do, they often prefer decaffeinated beverages. Not only is the frequency of consumption lower, but also the amount of coffee drank. Some of the surveyed people stated that they completely avoid drinking coffee.
Caffeine overdose can be very dangerous - FDA researchers warn
The consumption of caffeine is not limited to drinking coffee or tea. For several years now, so-called "boosters", or pre-workout supplements, have been in vogue. Some of them are primarily based on powdered caffeine. In the United States, the wholesale of such supplements has been banned. Why?
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, one teaspoon of powdered caffeine is equivalent to about 28 cups of coffee. There has been a global increase in deaths related to caffeine overdose. It's likely that many bodybuilders disregard the manufacturer's recommendations and exceed the suggested supplement dosage. An example was a 26-year-old woman living in London. She went to the hospital after consuming two heaping spoons of powdered caffeine, which amounted to about 0.7 ounces of this chemical compound.
The woman exceeded the lethal dose, which is between 0.35-0.42 ounces of caffeine. She was very fortunate, as doctors managed to save her. Her case was described in the BMJ Case Reports. As we read in the article, "a lethal overdose of caffeine occurs when the concentration of caffeine in the blood exceeds 80 mg/l".
The 26-year-old significantly exceeded this dose. Seven hours after consuming powdered caffeine, her blood concentration was still 147.1 mg/l. This is almost twice the lethal dose. During her stay in the hospital, the woman complained about heart palpitations, excessive sweating, breathing difficulties, vomiting, and anxiety. Doctors also noticed low blood pressure, hyperventilation, and a very rapid pulse. The EKG showed polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and her body was simultaneously fighting against metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis.
