I recently read an article saying that people who consume 450mg or more of caffeine every day have increased odds of death, and a bunch of other bad health concerns. I wasn’t too worried, but that all changed last night. I walked in to my local Starbucks and before ordering my regular Vanilla Latte, I checked the caffeine content. 150mg. That seemed okay, until I noticed that a Venti cup of regular brewed coffee at Starbucks is 450mg. I usually drink two cups of coffee a day at that size! That doesn’t count the 45mg for every 12oz. of Diet Coke I drink, and most cups at fast food restaurants hold twice that amount.
So I changed my order for the evening and got a Tall Decaf Skinny Vanilla Latte, which weighs in around 15mg of caffeine and actually seemed to taste better.
That article about limiting caffeine to 450mg was something I read online a while back, and I did some additional quick research on the subject that you can read below.
Stay healthy!
Diet Coke is considered moderate in caffeine, at 45mg. Diet Coke is the number 2 selling soft drink, right behind regular Coke with 34mg of caffeine. (Source: Caffeine Informer.) Find the caffeine content of many popular drinks in the Caffeine Database.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Caffeine
- Decaf isn’t the same as caffeine free.
- Caffeine starts working in just minutes.
- But it doesn’t affect everyone the same way.
- Energy drinks often don’t have more caffeine than coffee.
- Dark roast coffees actually have less caffeine than lighter roasts.
- Caffeine can be found naturally in more than 60 plants.
- Not all coffee has the same amount of caffeine.
- The average American consumes about 200 mg of caffeine a day.
- But we’re far from being the country that consumes the most.
- You can find caffeine in more than just drinks.
Find the full article on The Huffington Post.
15 Harmful Effects of Caffeine
- More than 4 cups of coffee linked to early death.
- Caffeine consumption may raise blood pressure in those already suffering from hypertension.
- Caffeine linked to gout attacks.
- Caffeine could cause incontinence.
- Caffeine may cause insomnia.
- Caffeine can cause indigestion.
- Caffeine can cause headaches.
- Caffeine could reduce fertility in women.
- Caffeine may not be healthy for type 2 diabetics.
- Caffeine Overdose.
- Caffeine Allergies.
- Caffeine causes more forceful heart contractions.
- Worse Menopause Symptoms.
- Caffeine consumption can lead to increased anxiety, depression and the need for anxiety medication.
- Caffeine increases the amount of sugary beverages consumed by people.
More about the harmful effects of caffeine is here.
Top 10 Energy Drink Side Effects
- Palpitations / tachycardia
- Tremor / shaking
- Agitation / restlessness
- Gastrointestinal upset
- Chest pain / ischaemia
- Dizziness / syncope
- Paraesthesia (tingling or numbing of the skin)
- Insomnia
- Respiratory distress
- Headache
More information about each of these top 10 can be found here.
Common Caffeine Side Effects
- diarrhea
- dizziness
- fast heartbeat
- hyperglycemia, including blurred vision, drowsiness, dry mouth, flushed dry skin, fruit-like breath odor, increased
- urination, ketones in urine, loss of appetite, nausea, stomachache, tiredness, troubled breathing, unusual thirst, or
- vomiting (in newborn babies)
- hypoglycemia, including anxious feeling, blurred vision, cold sweats, confusion, cool pale skin, drowsiness, excessive
- hunger, fast heartbeat, nausea, nervousness, restless sleep, shakiness, or unusual tiredness or weakness (in newborn
- babies)
- irritability, nervousness, or severe jitters (in newborn babies)
- nausea (severe)
- tremors
- trouble in sleeping
- vomiting
See the full list here.