Is Caffeine a Silent Killer?

     Good morning, Fam...  I know many of you cannot start your day without a cup of coffee.  I live with a coffee drinker who probably would need to be resuscitated if he didn't have his FIRST cup before 5 a.m.  Personally, I am not a coffee drinker.  If I have a cup at work, it's because I had a late night.  I work with people who can't function without 3-4 cups of coffee a day.  Coffee is what keeps some people up and running.  Actually, its the caffeine in the coffee.  Caffeine has the ability to give you that spark of energy.  Caffeine can be found in many products including chocolate candy, sodas, tea, and of course energy drinks.  I remember when I was in college and we needed to do an all-nighter to get ready for a test, we would take those VIVARIN tablets.  Each one contained 200 mg of caffeine.  
     After doing some research, I found some information about drinks and their caffeine contents.  You can see how much various products differ in their caffeine content.  There are even DECAF products that have caffeine in them.  Take a look at this.
     Starbucks DECAF coffee        16 oz      25 mg of caffeine
     5-hr Energy                                2 oz    200 mg of caffeine
     Coke CLASSIC                       12 oz      34 mg of caffeine
     Dunkin Iced Coffee                 24 oz     297 mg of caffeine
     Red Bull                                  8.5 oz      80 mg of caffeine
     Mountain Dew                         12 oz      54 mg of caffeine


     Recently I was reading an article about a teenager who died from a cardiac arrhythmia caused by drinking too many drinks containing caffeine.  According to news reports, prior to his death on that particular day he had a soft drink, an energy drink, and some coffee.  Now, some of us may think that that does not seem like much and are wondering how much caffeine could there possibly be in those drinks, but what we always fail remember is, what works for you does not necessarily work for someone else.  About 400 mg of caffeine a day seems to be a safe amount for MOST healthy adults.  That typically could  equates to about 4 cups of freshly brewed coffee, or about 10 cans of soda, or several energy shots.  Let's just say, if I have 4 cups of coffee, you will probably have to tie me down to a chair because I will be so hyper, put me in the cardiac unit because my heart will be racing, and clean up the mess that will be made because my stomach will be on the blitz (TMI?)




     Although caffeine may be okay for most adults, it should be avoided when possible by children, adolescents,  and women trying to become pregnant.  Caffeine should be avoided when using ephedrine, theophylline, Echinacea as they may interact causing various reactions like high blood pressure, heart palpitations, nausea, seizure, heart attack or stroke.


     Caffeine is labeled as being addictive.  It's a stimulant and when your nervous system gets used to having it everyday, there can be a physical dependence on it, although it's not as bad as some of these other addictive drugs that are being consumed around the world.  But, let it be known that if you stop taking in caffeine too abruptly, you may find yourself with anxiety, fatigue, headaches, mood swings, irritability, and the inability to concentrate.


     All I know is, if you want absolutely no caffeine in your drinks, you will need to drink WATER.  You should check your children and make sure they are not drinking high caffeine content products.  If you are a caffeine consumer and find yourself losing sleep, having heart palpitations, anxious, just to name a few things, you may want to consider you need to decrease your intake.  Consider this.  Is caffeine a silent killer???


Smooches