Studies show one in four Americans consume coffee or other caffeinated beverages at least three times a day or more.
"It's the most commonly used or abused drug worldwide, so I would say the elderly or really young should avoid excessive amounts of caffeine, but especially those groups," says Dr. Safi Haq, a Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon based in Lafayette. "It's very important to keep in mind that caffeine exists in many different substances, not just coffee, so if you're having that and then some kind of energy drink, it's going to add up."
Concerns over caffeine are coming to the forefront of many conversations after a Pennsylvania family filed suit against Panera Bread following the September death of 21-year-old Sarah Katz who drank the chain's "Charged Lemonade." Katz lived with a condition called Long QT Type 1 Syndrome.
“It’s a serious issue and these supercharged drinks are toeing the line where we were enjoying a cup of coffee, to now having too much and that’s something we definitely need to pay attention to and really stay away from," local registered dietician nutritionist Yvette Quantz tells KATC.
Still, caffeine overdoses and deaths are extremely rare, usually involving high doses of the stimulant in pill or powder form. The Food and Drug Administration recommends no more than 400 milligrams a day. To put that into perspective, about four or five cups of coffee — but caffeine isn't all bad. There can be some significant benefits.
“In the appropriate doses, it can make you feel alert. give you more energy, and I think there have been studies as well for other CNS conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s where patients using an appropriate dose of caffeine may see less degenerative effects of those conditions in the long run,” Dr. Haq says.
If you're not ready to cut back quite yet, health professionals recommend making sure you keep yourself hydrated and remain mindful of how your body feels when you consume caffeine because at the end of the day, it's about being mindful and doing what's best for you.
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