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.
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