Hey everyone a question recently came in
online, how much caffeine is too much caffeine and I am happy to take this
question on because of the significant increase in caffeine intake among adults
adolescent and children over the past decade due to the boom in commercial
coffee businesses and local coffee shops and increased additive caffeine to
common foods and energy drinks I also have a personal interest in this topic
because I am one of those individuals who happen to be sensitive to caffeine
intake. Caffeine is the only drug that is
present naturally or added to widely consumed foods caffeine in fact is the
most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world and one of the most
comprehensively studied ingredients in our food supply it is mildly addictive
one possible reason that makers of soft drinks add to their products many coffee
drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches irritability
sleeplessness and lethargy or fatigue when they stop drinking coffee like any
drug the effects of caffeine on the body are not necessarily wholly good or
wholly bad caffeine is a substance that may boost your mood your metabolism and
mental and physical performance recent estimates in adults suggests that about
85% of adults in the US regularly consume caffeine with an average daily
intake around a hundred and eighty milligrams per day about the amount of
caffeine found in two eight ounce cups of coffee but we do not drink coffee
like our grandparents did historically the addition of caffeine was limited to
soda type beverages but over the past decade caffeine has been added to a
diverse variety of foods and non-food items to promote arousal alertness
energy and elevated mood the recent increase in caffeine containing food
products and energy drinks as well as changes in patterns of consumption of
the more traditional sources of caffeine has increased scrutiny by health
authorities and regulatory bodies of the overall consumption of caffeine and its
potential cumulative effects on behavior and body physiology a particular concern
is the rate of caffeine intake among populations
vulnerable to its negative effects health and regulatory authorities have
recently highlighted the risk of consumption of caffeine among pregnant
and lactating women children and adolescents young adults and people with
underlying heart and health conditions now let's talk about the caffeine
content of beverages and foods for coffee a 15 to 20 ounce serving ranges
anywhere from 150 to 400 milligrams per serving again the average amount of
caffeine and an 8 ounce cup of coffee is about 95 milligrams but we do not drink
coffee like our grandparents did they had a cup or two of joe in the morning
to get the day started we go and get a huge cup of coffee and that influences
the caffeine intake now for tea Earl Grey tea contains the highest amount of
caffeine about 110 milligrams the typical black tea ranges between 50
and 80 milligrams per serving the iced tea that you make that's that's brewed
at home and you make iced tea ranges from 50 to 60 milligrams per serving and
green tea contains about 30 to 50 grams per serving most soft drinks range
between 35 and 50 milligrams per serving energy drinks can vary wildly between a
hundred and 350 milligrams per serving chocolate contains caffeine typically
between 8 and 15 milligrams per serving though the amount of caffeine and
chocolate varies by the percentage of cocoa it contains certain medications
contain caffeine like excedrin and midol about 60 milligrams per dose and it's
included because research has shown that the addition of caffeine improves the
potency of certain pain medications and then of course over the counter weight
loss supplements typically contain caffeine as well the caffeine of coffee
depends on many factors the type of coffee beans there are many varieties of
coffee beans available which may naturally
contain different amounts of caffeine the roasting process influences the
caffeine intake lighter roasts have more caffeine and darker roasts although the
darker roasts tend to have a more rich deeper flavor and the type of coffee
that the caffeine content can vary significantly between regularly brewed
coffee espresso instant coffee and decaf coffee yes in fact decaf coffee does
contain small amounts of caffeine typically 7 to 15 milligrams per ounce
cup and of course the serving size one cup of coffee can range anywhere from
300 to 700 milliliters or 1 to 24 ounces greatly affecting the
total caffeine content that you're taking in caffeine has a red relatively
long half-life in most individuals ranging from 3 to 7 hours now we do know
that caffeine has some benefits for mental alertness and mental performance
Coffee is high in antioxidants caffeine high in antioxidants tea high in
antioxidants and many studies show that it can be potentially good for your
health however getting too much caffeine is linked to adverse health effects like
anxiety insomnia heart palpitations and restlessness the scientists have
typically shown that research has concluded consuming 4 to 500 milligrams
of caffeine a day is generally not associated with adverse effects in most
people this is about 6 milligrams per kilogram body weight or 3 milligrams per
pound body weight an average of 4 to 6 8 ounce cups of coffee a day now that
being said caffeine affects different people in widely different ways some are
very sensitive to it like and others can consume large amounts
without having negative side-effects and this is largely due to genetic
differences I'll get into that in a moment
caffeine and coffee may in fact reduce risk factors for certain conditions like
gall bladder disease Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes however it can
worsen certain health conditions aggressive and violent behavior anxiety
heart arrhythmias or palpitations bipolar disorders essential tremors
fibrocystic breast changes GERD or acid reflux high blood pressure and
hypertension insomnia restless leg syndrome hypoglycemia or low blood sugar
migraine headaches and it can negatively affect bone mass density and contribute
to osteoporosis there's a higher risk of miscarriage and individuals who consume
large amounts of caffeine and if you have either irritable bladder syndrome
or irritable bowel syndrome it can worsen those symptoms as well
particularly populations that are high risk for high caffeine intake include
pregnant and lactating women and kids in a recent FDA report the researchers
concluded that there is no sufficient evidence of safety nor a consensus of
scientific opinion to conclude that the high levels of caffeine found in energy
drinks are safe now medically speaking caffeine overdose is defined as
following in excess of 250 milligrams of caffeine intake per day the development
of five or more of the following symptoms restlessness nervousness
excitement and saamiya flushed face diuresis or increased frequency of
urination gastrointestinal disturbance muscle twitching rambling flow of
thought and Beach tachycardia or increased heart
rate increased heart palpitations periods of inexhaustibility or
psychomotor agitation caffeine withdrawal disorder is diagnosed with an
individual who experiences clinically significant impairment related to
withdrawal symptoms after abrupt stopping of caffeine intake including
Pennock difficulty concentration fatigue nausea flu-like symptoms and changes in
mood these symptoms of caffeine withdrawal typically began 12 to 24
hours after stopping caffeine and may continue for 3 to 7 days now here's my
personal story when I was in college I became so frustrated with my study
partners who could consume enormous amounts of caffeine late at night in
preparation for for studying for examinations the next day I could not do
that I could not go to sleep and it's because of my genetics because
of my genes something called cytochrome p450 it's a detoxification pathway in
the liver specifically the the cytochrome p450
enzyme cyp 1 a2 and it has humongous genetic variability at least a hundred
and fifty single nucleotide polymorphisms can either accelerate or
down regulate caffeine clearance I did some genetic testing and I found out
that my cy p a1 2 did not process caffeine well so I could only drink a
cup or two of coffee and start to experience the negative side effects of
of caffeine and still to this day I can only drink a cup or two of coffee and it
has to be before noon unless I want to experience anxiety or insomnia later on
the cytochrome p450 enzyme system is the same ins
system that metabolizes steroid hormones thus steroid hormones slow caffeine
metabolism in women this effect slows the metabolism of caffeine during
pregnancy and when they're taking oral contraceptive pills oral contraceptives
are estimated to double the half-life of caffeine in the system we know that
cigarette smoking doubles the rate of caffeine clearance by increasing liver
enzyme activity which may explain the higher rate of caffeine consumption
among smokers and substantial alcohol intake increases the half-life of
caffeine and decreases its clearance now I want to know about your experience
with coffee and tea and caffeine I want to know additional questions so that I
can teach you how to take good care of yourself
I'm honored and impressed with your time and attention to learn about your health
and wellness I believe in the original meaning of the word dr.
Dope catering so
we post multiple times every week and you'll learn new information each and
every week we've made additional videos on fatigue and stress and energy levels
I want you to check those out make sure that you subscribe and like and share
this page so that you can continue to learn more about your health and
well-being now in Zenith labs we've actually created a yummy chocolate drink
called cacao melody it's it's made from the beans that ultimately are made into
chocolate it contains a small amount of caffeine but just a small amount and
we've added additional vitamins and botanical agents to improve alertness
and energy please check that out we have a website zenith labs calm we
have a Facebook page and Instagram page please give those a look over because
you will learn more about your health and wellness again thanks so much for
your time.
I'm Dr. Ryan Shelton..
