So this kid died because he drank too much caffeine. You should be scared!
I was flipping through Google news, and I was super surprised to see the headline spewing something about a teen dying from chugging too much caffeine. I’m sure for some of you that kind of news hits home pretty hard. Most people chug down cups of coffee when they’ve got deadlines to meet or are cramming for an exam. Now you’re probably wondering if it’s still a good idea.
How Someone Died Drinking Too Much Caffeine
So here’s what this dude did. Like most teens, being wild and young, he probably decided that he wanted to spice up his school day with a hyper load of caffeine. In only two hours he drank a large Mountain Dew, a McDonald’s cafe latte, and a 16-ounce energy drink. I’d say the kid had some balls – but it’s that overconfidence that lead to his unfortunate death.
According to the coroner, the caffeine overload messed with his heart and probably caused an arrhythmia. So he went on the news raising awareness about the possibility of a fatal caffeine overdose – something he hadn’t seen in 20 years of practice.
How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?
Well, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teens and children shouldn’t even drink caffeinated drinks or anything containing caffeine. You know that’s not possible because even chocolate has caffeine – so. But for adults, the FDA says you can have only 400 milligrams everyday. The problem is that an energy drink usually already has 300 milligrams. So going over the FDA limit isn’t difficult at all if you throw in two cups of java into your day with one energy drink.
But Within Reasonable Quantities, Caffeine Is Healthy for You
As long as you’re not trying to break the world’s record for the number of coffees chugged in less than an hour or something, then caffeine is actually healthy for your body.
If you’re trying to lose weight, drinking two or three cups of coffee before working out actually boosts your metabolism by 15 percent. It also helps you endure longer by bringing more blood to your muscles, which helps fuel them with more nutrients to help keep them going.
And researchers also found that drinking four cups of coffee protects your liver from cirrhosis that’s caused by drinking far too much. They also protect you from developing neurodegenerative disorders and cardiovascular diseases because they help prevent your blood vessels from becoming blocked.
There are other findings too – like that drinking coffee regularly can help prevent your risk of developing cancer and dying early.
But I’m sure the one benefit you’d love to hear is that coffee’s been found to boost your memory for up to 24 hours. That means all that late night cramming with cups of coffee actually helps boost your grades!
So my friends, don’t be afraid to chug on coffee – but don’t make it a competition. If you want healthier sources of caffeine, you can also drink hot cocoa made from 100 percent cocoa (and not the commercial hot cocoa that’s filled with sugar and other cancer-causing artificial ingredients). You can also drink tea!
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