How Much Coffee Can People Drink Each Day?
For some people, mornings just aren't the same without their daily dose of coffee. It helps them assimilate themselves back into the land of the living after a good night's sleep or after spending the wee hours of the morning trying to complete tasks and assignments. Still, for others, coffee is just not their thing.
Popular coffee shops such as Starbucks always seem to find a way to make people enjoy coffee. It can come in the form of a holiday-themed Frappuccino or the more classic brew. Regardless, millions of people all around the world find coffee to be addicting and the same time, necessary. This is probably why many are worried after news that a teenager died from caffeine overdose came out.
According to NBC News, 16-year-old Davis Allen Cripe died after ingesting soda, coffee and an energy drink in the span of a few hours. Richland County coroner Gary Watts revealed the details in a news conference.
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"On this particular day within the two hours prior to his death, we know had consumed a large diet Mountain Dew, a cafe latte from McDonald's and also some type of energy drink," Watts said. "It was so much caffeine at the time of his death that it caused his arrhythmia."
If anyone can die from a caffeine overdose, the next logical question to ask is how much coffee is too much coffee? According to experts, the optimal amount of coffee that one can drink is only up to 400 mg of caffeine which equates to roughly four cups of coffee or ten cans of soda or two energy drinks. Anything more and one risks having cardiac problems or dying from a caffeine overdose.
CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus shared a few useful insights about caffeine.
"The problem that we're learning is that it's not just caffeine, it's the other stimulants that are in there," he said. "In a cup of coffee, you may have [it] over 45 minutes or 60 minutes. These energy drinks you're having all at once. And so all the caffeine give this big peak in the body and that's when bad things happen."
The key then to avoid such a tragic end is to exercise regulation and moderation.
