It’s not uncommon for many, myself included,
to drink 1, 2, or even 5 cups of coffee daily to keep us half-way functional. Of course, our interest is not so much the
coffee, per se, but more so on its caffeine content. And sometimes it gets us wondering, how much
caffeine is too much? Before getting to the big answer, let’s
first get the “it depends” out of the way. The effects of caffeine are different for
each person.
Some might feel jolted and jittery from a
single cup of coffee while others will feel nothing from drinking three cups. It’s no shocker then, that caffeine intake
should first depend on your personal tolerance levels to it. That being said, no doubt there is a general
daily maximum that you want to avoid surpassing regularly. Sure, some people might still get away with
consuming more, but in most cases, the research has associated adverse effects like general
toxicity, CVD risks, diuresis, bone calcium imbalances, and behavioral effects when passing
this maximum on a regular basis. Fortunately, this maximum does seem to be
well below the estimated average adult caffeine intake. It’s estimated that caffeine users on average
consume 180 milligrams of caffeine per day, or about two cups of coffee.
The purported maximum where there are no associated
adverse effects sits at 400 milligrams, or a little more than 4 cups. Now, not all coffees are created equal. Some might have less caffeine while others
might have more. So, to make sure that you stay under 400 milligrams,
you first have to figure out the caffeine content of the coffee you regularly drink. Or you can also rely on caffeine pills for
tighter management or any other caffeine sources.
Bear in mind, though, there are two potentially
at-risk populations that should consume less: One is reproductive-aged women, where increases
of miscarriage incidence and abnormal fetal development have been associated with caffeine
consumption. Based on the data, less than 300 milligrams
of caffeine per day is generally safe for this population. The other at-risk population is children,
which means your mom was right for not letting you drink coffee until you’re older. Now the research is a bit shaky here since
the research methodologies itself were shaky. There have been SOME consistent data of aversive
behavioral effects in children associated with high caffeine consumption. To be cautious, a generally safe maximum for
children is about 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day but more research is
needed to be sure. As for single-dose toxicity, 15 milligrams
of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight is considered toxic, or roughly 1200 milligrams
for the average, 180-pound male. Lethality is rated at 150 milligrams per kilogram,
or 12 grams for the average male. There has been, however, one death case reported
after ingesting only 6.5 grams of caffeine, but also another case where a patient survived
after consuming 24 grams. And for you bros or broettes wondering, according
to the ISSN position stand, 3 to 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight, or
about 250 to 500 milligrams, is the range where performance enhancing effects are observed.
Although the upper range is higher than the
recommended 400 milligrams, do note that you can occasionally go past the max without any
undue effects. Just don’t do it all the time. That about wraps it up! End of the day, moderation is the name of
the game. If you’re on your fourth Starbucks run at
2pm, you might want to reconsider it… along with the last 2 trips.
Thank you once again to Examine.com for their
recent article on this very topic. I also want to point out their awesome infographic
showcasing the amount of caffeine in different popular caffeine drinks and how much of it
you need to reach the 400-milligram max. Check out the link to the graphic and their
article in the description. Let me know your experiences with caffeine
and how much is too much for you! Please thumbs up the video if you enjoyed
and share it to your coffee-loving friends. Click to subscribe for more future videos! As always, thank you for watching and GET
YOUR PROTEIN..
