In 10 energy drinks, 19 sodas and seven other beverages tested at the university, some energy drinks contained up to 141 milligrams of caffeine in a single serving - more than twice the content of some espresso coffee drinks, according to their study.

University researchers said they fear that unsuspecting consumers who don't know that some of the drinks exceed the federal government's recommendation on caffeine intake are getting unhealthy pick-me-ups that could affect their heart health. Their report appears in March's Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

Bruce Goldberger, director of the University of Florida's William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, said the surprisingly high caffeine content in some beverages could present problems for pregnant women and children, and for adults with hypertension, heart disease or mental health ailments such as anxiety.

"We weren't surprised that there was caffeine in the sodas and some of the other beverages," said Goldberger, a professor of pathology and psychiatry in the university's medical school. The surprise, he added, was the high concentration of caffeine in some of the energy drinks beyond what the federal government recommends.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends a maximum caffeine concentration of 65 milligrams per 12-ounce serving of cola beverages, though the agency does not regulate caffeine content of these drinks. Although the FDA requires the presence of caffeine be disclosed, companies are under no mandate to specify the quantity of caffeine on labels for energy drinks and cold coffee beverages.

'Highly vitalizing' but . . .

The sodas ranged from 0 to 48 milligrams a serving, well below the maximum recommended amount. But as for energy drinks, Goldberger said they often are marketed as enhancing performance, stimulating metabolism and being "highly vitalizing." Yet in certain people, consumption of caffeine causes serious health effects, such as anxiety, palpitations, irritability, difficulty sleeping and stomach complaints.

The American Dietetic Association suggests women avoid caffeine while pregnant or breastfeeding, citing findings from studies linking caffeine consumption to miscarriage and low-birth weight babies.

"There are many consequences that are relatively unknown to the general public because they consider the consumption of sodas and other beverages to be relatively safe," Goldberger said. "People with psychiatric diseases could have manifestations of anxiety when they consume too much caffeine, people with hypertension could increase their heart rate if they consume caffeine."

Roland Griffiths, a behavioral biology professor at Johns Hopkins University's medical school, said caffeine is the world's most widely used mood-altering drug, although caffeine is not considered highly toxic.

"Daily use of even relatively low doses of caffeine (about 100 milligrams a day) results in physical dependence, with abstinence characterized by withdrawal symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, depressed mood and difficulty concentrating," Griffiths said. "People should then make informed decisions about their caffeine use. Obviously, knowing how much caffeine a given product contains is critical to making an informed decision about use."

Goldberger said many people are aware of their food's nutritional content but most know little about the ingredients of their beverages, just whether they are sugar-free or regular. A few energy drinks have labels warning that the product is not recommended for children and pregnant women, but they do not specify the caffeine content.

In an unrelated study, researchers at the University of Toronto found that heart attacks might be a risk for coffee drinkers with a common genetic trait that makes caffeine linger in their bodies. To read complete story, click here.

The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research says moderate doses of caffeine - 200 to 300 milligrams a day - shouldn't harm anybody, but excessive amounts of more than 500 milligrams a day can cause a laundry list of problems from anxiety to diarrhea. The amount of caffeine in two to three cups of coffee can raise blood pressure up to 14 points in people without high blood pressure. Another study of 155,000 women found that drinking caffeinated cola stand a higher risk of high blood pressure, but paradoxically a lower risk of blood pressure by drinking coffee.

For more information on caffeine, click here for the American Heart Association and here for the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Source: Nubella News
Posted by: Steve Smith
Website: www.nubella.com

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