Most Americans can't imagine getting through the day without the boost from (at least) one morning cup of joe, and plenty of evidence suggests drinking it can be good for your brain and body and may even lead to a longer life.
But too much caffeine can be deadly.
Lachlan Foote, a 21-year-old from Sydney, Australia, died 18 months ago after drinking a highly-caffeinated protein shake. He reportedly mixed the shake himself after coming home from a few drinks with his friends, and his last Facebook message mentioned an odd bitter taste in his shake.
"I think my protein powder has gone off ... Anyway … night lads. Cya in the morning," he wrote, according to News Corp Australia. In the morning, though, his parents found him dead on the bathroom floor.
Now, the coroner has determined that his death was a caffeine overdose, and Foote's family is speaking out about the dangers of powdered caffeine supplements similar to those Foote had added to his shake, the Blue Mountain Gazette reported.
Read more: We bought a bag of caffeine equivalent to 15,625 cans of Coca-Cola for $30
"I want the truth to be out there ... for Lachlan's sake and so that it won't happen again," his dad told the Gazette. "Maybe his death will benefit someone else."
Caffeine can be lethal because it stresses the cardiovascular system
Caffeine is the world's most popular psychoactive drug, added to everything from soda to soap.
It's found naturally in coffee, tea, and chocolate, and acts as a central nervous system stimulant to make you feel a rush of energy, elevated mood, and increased focus.
But not all of its effects are positive: Even in normal doses, like your morning latte, it increases your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure, according to registered dietitian Leslie Bonci.
And, at higher doses, it can be dangerous. The Mayo Clinic recommends 400 mg of caffeine per day as a safe amount for most adults (kids and teens should avoid it). Any more than that, Bonci said, could make you feel anxious or jittery. It could even make you feel like your heart is racing or you can't catch your breath, she added, sending some people to the ER.
The amount in a lethal dose varies based on body weight, but could be as little as 1,500 milligrams, Bonci said. That's because in extreme cases, caffeine causes vomiting, cramps, and a fast, irregular heart beat, combined with low blood pressure that can lead to unconsciousness and eventually death.
Caffeine supplements are highly concentrated, making it dangerously easy to consume a lethal dose
Highly concentrated, readily-accessible online supplements are making it easy to cross the line between a quick boost and a lethal overdose. At least two deaths in the U.S. have been attributed to caffeine overdose.
The amount found in supplements is "just ridiculously high," Bonci said. "You would never see that amount in a cup of Starbucks; it's impossible."
While most people would have to drink more than 20 cups of coffee at once to reach a fatal level of caffeine intoxication, caffeine in supplement form, whether tablets, powder or, liquid "energy shots," are especially dangerous because they can hit your system all at once.
"The amount is so concentrated, and you don't have anything to dilute it," Bonci said. "There's nothing to slow down the absorption, and the brain is going to feel that caffeine a lot faster."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on sales, but it's still cheap and easy to buy caffeine supplements online.
Last year, the FDA issued warning letters to two American companies selling illegally high doses of concentrated caffeine. One of these contained 3,200 milligrams per teaspoon, as much as 20 to 30 cups of coffee or 80 cans of soda.
"Despite being informed of the dangers of highly concentrated and pure caffeine, we're still finding companies that are disregarding consumer safety by illegally selling products with potentially dangerous and lethal amounts of caffeine," said FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb in a June 2018 press release.
Serving sizes of caffeine supplements are deceptive
The proper "serving size" of pure caffeine powder is 1/16 of a teaspoon, according to one product website. Most people don't have a measuring spoon that small, and would need a precise digital scale to measure a safe dose, the FDA warned.
In other cases, users may not even have access to dose information. For Foote, there was no record of him purchasing the supplement himself, so he likely obtained it from a friend and may have been unaware of how concentrated it was, his father Nigel Foote, told the Blue Mountain Gazette.
"It's just insane that something so dangerous is so readily available. Please warn your friends, talk to your children, and perhaps check your kitchen cupboards. Pure caffeine powder looks just like any other white powder, but a heaped teaspoon of it will kill you," he said.
Despite the FDA crackdown, a search for "caffeine" on the website of one of the FDA-cited companies led to a page for "special customers only," with an unspecified product available in orders of up to 5.5 pounds. The smallest size, 3.5 ounces, is advertised for $16.99. It contains 340 servings — roughly as much as 480 cups of coffee or 10 times a lethal dose.
The risk of caffeine can be be multiplied by other drugs, such as alcohol, that have a negative effect on your heart, lungs, and brain. Exercise also elevates your heart rate and breathing and can compound the side effects of caffeine, added Bonci, who specializes in sports nutrition.
Read more:
Here's how much caffeine you can safely consume in a week
Surprising ways that caffeine affects your body and brain
Here's why caffeine is so addictive — and why it's so hard to give it up
