Caffeine, A Risky Business?

SOME ALARMING FACTS.....

  • which major coffee retailer sends your caffeine level to toxic levels with their largest size? click here to find out.

  • one "Grande" coffee has as many calories and fat as a full meal.

  • you can over dose on coffee.

  • some coffee syrup mixtures have more sugar than energy drinks.

  • "Rockstar" energy drink is packed with as much sugar as you would find in 6 Krispy Creme donuts.

  • some energy drinks aimed at children contain upto 13 times more sugar than a donut.

  • energy drinks are loaded with alarming levels of sugar, increasing the risk of tooth decay, blindness and even limb amputation in later life.

  • out of 197 energy drinks tested, 80% would get a red light for high sugar.

  • famous “energy” brand Lucozade has 4.8 teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle. That is three times the 1.5 teaspoons in a McDonald’s donut. Another brand, Gatorade, has a massive 7.5 teaspoons of sugar per 500ml, equivalent to FIVE McDonald's donuts.

For most people, the amount of caffeine in two to four cups of regular coffee a day is not harmful. The side effects of having more than 300mg a day may:

  • make you jittery and shaky

  • make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep

  • cause headaches or dizziness

  • make your heart beat faster or cause abnormal heart rhythms

  • cause dehydration

  • make you dependent on it so you need to take more of it

  • if you stop using caffeine, you could get withdrawal symptoms

Remember, some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others. 

Variations in caffeine and chlorogenic acid contents of coffees: what are we drinking?

Author information: Ludwig IA1, Mena P, Calani L, Cid C, Del Rio D, Lean ME, Crozier A.

Abstract
The effect of roasting coffee beans and the extraction of ground coffee with different volumes of hot pressurised water on the caffeine and the total caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) content of the resultant beverages was investigated. While caffeine was stable higher roasting temperatures resulted in a loss of CQAs so that the caffeine/CQA ratio was a good marker of the degree of roasting. The caffeine and CQA content and volume was determined for 104 espresso coffees obtained from coffee shops in Scotland, Italy and Spain, limited numbers of cappuccino coffees from commercial outlets and several instant coffees. The caffeine content ranged from 48-317 mg per serving and CQAs from 6-188 mg. It is evident that the ingestion of 200 mg of caffeine per day can be readily and unwittingly exceeded by regular coffee drinkers. This is the upper limit of caffeine intake from all sources recommended by US and UK health agencies for pregnant women. In view of the variable volume of serving sizes, it is also clear that the term "one cup of coffee" is not a reproducible measurement for consumption, yet it is the prevailing unit used in epidemiology to assess coffee consumption and to link the potential effects of the beverage and its components on the outcome of diseases. More accurate measurement of the intake of coffee and its potentially bioactive components are required if epidemiological studies are to produce more reliable information.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER CAFFEINE IS SAFE FOR YOU, TALK WITH YOUR GP/HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.

THE TRUTH ABOUT ENERGY DRINKS

click here for an eye opening read.

It is believed that there can be sufficient harm to people from the consumption of too much caffeine to the extent that lawyers have got involved to create lawsuits against energy drinks companies.
The way energy drinks are marketed and the way caffeine levels are compared are often very misleading. Lawyers would not waste their time on such legal cases unless they were convinced about the harm excess caffeine can do. click here to read more.
There are further links from this article about energy drinks and how they are linked to:

  • risky behaviour

  • the cause of hypertension and hepatitus C

  • enlarged hearts

CAFFEINE COMPARED

from coke and coffee to aspirin and chocolate

People are increasingly aware of the side-effects of caffeine - but do they know the volume of the drug they’re drinking in their favourite beverages? Get the data here

CAFFEINE CALCULATOR

How much of your favorite energy drink, soda, or coffee should you consume?
Click here for the caffeine calculator

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© 2012 7Futures Ltd. Please note that, at 7Futures, our role is to help educate and encourage our clients to take positive responsibility for their wellbeing. We are not medical doctors and are not able to offer individual medical advice. We always recommend you should discuss with your GP or other medical professional before making any changes you hope will impact your wellbeing, or that of your current/future family.  7Futures Ltd offers generic information which is for educational purposes only. The information we provided is not a prescription system and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As such our materials, videos products and communications are for general information purposes only and should not be read as a personal recommendation for specific changes in lifestyle behaviour, nutrition, or exercise. Please click here for a clear description of our services and the relationship with you as a client. You should not participate in any of our services until you have studied this link...it is for your benefit.

Mark Davies