Could Caffeine Kill you?
March 21, 2008 by Kel
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How much caffeine have you had today?
Experts say that too much caffeine is harmful to our health - but surely it wouldn’t kill us? Would it?
Pouring that first cup of coffee in the morning is like lifting the roof off a foggy head. Liz is always trying to get me to convert over to Green Tea…(No thanks) But Coffee lovers, you’ll be happy to know I stand firm and reply with “A couple cups of coffee a day isn’t going to kill me”.
True. But how many cups of coffee in a day will in fact…kill me? I went to Death by Caffeine to find out.
Time to get specific….. Now when you head over to “Death By Caffeine” you need to “Enter your Poison”…well, I really like Starbucks Grande Cappuccino…so in she goes. Next I added my weight and Bang!
Pretty cool huh?
So check this out - A 16 ounce cup of Starbucks Grande Cappuccino contains 150 milligrams of caffeine. Mix in a bit of sugar and frothy milk and look out - your heart is doing cartwheels.
Obviously, no one in their right mind would consume 140 cups of coffee in a day but it does beg the question “How much caffeine should you have in anyone day or more importantly, when should you stop adding coffee to your body?”
Here are some suggestions from the Mayoclinic
More than 500 to 600 mg a day, or about four to seven cups of coffee — can cause:
- Restlessness
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Muscle tremors
- Sleeplessness
- Headaches
- Nausea, diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems
- Abnormal heart rhythms
One of the ways to curb your caffeine intake is to know exactly how much caffeine is in the foods and drinks we consume. In my example, knowing that the grande size cappuccino has 150 milligrams of caffeine in it means I can avoid it towards the end of the day if I want to sleep through the night.
“Everything in Moderation”…and it’s important to know your limits..For me, 4 cups of Coffee seems to be the magic number…what about you? (You can let me know by making a comment below)
If this article hasn’t quite quenched your thirst for knowledge on Caffeine then below are some stories from around the web:
Caffeine Addiction
The Caffeine Test
The Claim: Caffeine Causes Birth Defects
Now, I’m off for a Coffee…Cheers!
Kel
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