Americans consume about 45 MILLION pounds of caffeine each year. In the United States, coffee drinkers drink an average of 2.6 cups per day. Total caffeine intake for coffee drinkers was 363.5 mg per day - this includes caffeine from coffee AND other sources like soft drinks, food and drugs.
Worldwide, 120,000 tons of caffeine are consumed each year.
A new study finds that three-quarters of young children consume caffeine, typically in the form of soda.
Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group. Adenosine is a naturally occurring xanthine in the brain that is used as a neurotransmitter at some synapses. One effect of caffeine is to interfere with adenosine at multiple sites in the brain including the reticular formation. Caffeine also acts at other sites in the body to increase heart rate, constrict blood vessels, relax air passages to improve breathing and allow some muscles to contract more easily.
"Caffeine is not some boogie man, but at some point for all of us, too much caffeine is a problem," said William Warzak, a psychologist in the department of pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
In massive doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal dose of caffeine has been calculated to be more than 10 grams (about 170 mg/kg body weight) - this is the same as drinking 80 to 100 cups of coffee in rapid succession - not an easy thing to do.
The United States Food and Drug Administration doesn't offer caffeine guidelines for kids. But the Canadian government recommends an upper limit of 62 mg per day for 7- to 9-year-olds, and 82 milligrams for children up to age 12.
Worldwide, 120,000 tons of caffeine are consumed each year.
A new study finds that three-quarters of young children consume caffeine, typically in the form of soda.
Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group. Adenosine is a naturally occurring xanthine in the brain that is used as a neurotransmitter at some synapses. One effect of caffeine is to interfere with adenosine at multiple sites in the brain including the reticular formation. Caffeine also acts at other sites in the body to increase heart rate, constrict blood vessels, relax air passages to improve breathing and allow some muscles to contract more easily.
"Caffeine is not some boogie man, but at some point for all of us, too much caffeine is a problem," said William Warzak, a psychologist in the department of pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
In massive doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal dose of caffeine has been calculated to be more than 10 grams (about 170 mg/kg body weight) - this is the same as drinking 80 to 100 cups of coffee in rapid succession - not an easy thing to do.
The United States Food and Drug Administration doesn't offer caffeine guidelines for kids. But the Canadian government recommends an upper limit of 62 mg per day for 7- to 9-year-olds, and 82 milligrams for children up to age 12.
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