Warning issued over hazardous caffeine powder: Potentially fatal consequences
Caffeine powder is often utilized for enhancing performance, but a thorough study conducted by an institute has some alarming findings: Individuals who consume excessive amounts of this highly concentrated dietary supplement can potentially face fatality.
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has issued a health warning regarding hazards associated with highly concentrated caffeine powder. These caffeine-infused powders, sold as dietary supplements, can lead to severe poisoning even in small quantities. Accidentally overdosing on these substances is a real concern.
These powders are easily accessible and are commonly used by athletes to amplify their performance. In certain online shops, pure or highly concentrated caffeine powders are available for sale. However, these products pose a high risk of accidental overdose, and even small amounts can cause significant health issues.
Moderate doses of caffeine can boost alertness and performance, but high doses can result in severe restlessness, nausea, raised blood pressure, heart palpitations, and irregular heart rhythms. Consuming around five to ten grams of pure caffeine – roughly equivalent to one to two teaspoons – can be fatal.
Fatal and severe poisonings caused by highly concentrated caffeine powders are rare but have been reported. For instance, in Germany, a young woman lost her life after accidentally consuming two teaspoons of highly concentrated caffeine powder. Similar cases have been documented in other countries.
Safety guidelines to bear in mind
For healthy adults, the European Food Safety Authority advises against consuming more than 0.2 grams of caffeine as a single dose. Over the course of a day, up to 0.4 grams is considered safe. In terms of highly concentrated caffeine powder, this equates to a daily limit of 0.2 grams – equivalent to a dash of a teaspoon.
However, the BfR highlights that accurately measuring such a small amount with a standard kitchen scale or teaspoon is challenging. Additionally, the effects of highly concentrated caffeine powder can be significantly underestimated due to its distinct differences in impact compared to coffee.
The potentially lethal dose for an adult is five to ten grams of caffeine. A 200 milliliter cup of coffee contains approximately 0.09 grams of caffeine. To consume five grams of caffeine via drinks, one would need to consume around ten liters of coffee. With highly concentrated caffeine powders, just one to two teaspoons of powder contain around five to ten grams of caffeine – the potentially lethal dose.
Despite being utilized by some for performance enhancement, heavily cautioned are the caffeine-laden powders due to their potential harmful effects. Exceeding the recommended daily limit of 0.2 grams, as advised by the European Food Safety Authority, could lead to serious health issues or even fatalities, as evidenced by reported cases.
