The tragic case of an Ohio teenager who died after accidentally ingesting a toxic amount of powdered caffeine triggered a federal warning to avoid the powerful stimulant.
The high school wrestler ingested enough caffeine powder to cause an irregular heartbeat and seizures, which ultimately killed him. Family members reported that he may have taken the substance as part of his pre-workout routine. The coroner who performed his autopsy found 23 times the amount found in a typical coffee or soda drinker.
The tragedy prompted the Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning about the dangers of unregulated, powdered pure caffeine.
"Pure caffeine is a powerful stimulant and very small amounts may cause accidental overdose," the FDA noted.
Just one teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine is about equal to drinking 25 cups of coffee. Symptoms of an overdose include heartbeat disruptions, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea and disorientation.
Caffeine Dangers
Powdered caffeine is not the only concern. Hospitalizations as a result of misuse of caffeinated energy drinks have risen in recent years.
Julie Metos, PhD, RD, the associate chair in the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology (NUIP) at the University of Utah, recommends staying away from energy drinks altogether, and to be aware of how much caffeine you are drinking each day.
"My bottom-line recommendation is to not exceed 200-300 milligrams of caffeine,” she says. “That's about two 8-ounce cups of coffee or two caffeinated sodas.”
Metos notes it can be difficult to determine how much caffeine you are ingesting. "The problem is that caffeine amounts are not regularly labeled on products."
For more about caffeine, Barbara Crouch, PharmD, executive director of the Utah Poison Control Center, spoke to CNN about caffeine poisoning.
"When you pound down more than one energy drink verses sipping a cup of coffee, you're not metabolizing it in the same way," she told CNN. "Yes, there is absolutely such a thing a caffeine poisoning, and the dose essentially makes the poison."