Caffeine

Way too much coffee. But if it weren't for the coffee, I'd have no identifiable personality whatsoever. ~David Letterman

How much caffeine do you consume a day? It may be more than you think. Some sweets and over-the-counter medications have caffeine (note Excedrin at the top of the chart below.) Sunkist Orange soda has more caffeine than Pepsi or Coke.

The MayoClinc says most people can handle 200-300 milligrams a day although there are individuals that are affected by as little as one cup of coffee, 100 mg. At levels of 500-600 mg/day you may see the following side effects:

· Headaches
· Irritability
· Anxiety
· Nervousness
· Restlessness
· Insomnia
· Nausea or other gastrointestinal problems
· Muscle tremors
· Fast or irregular heartbeat

Caffeine can be addictive. As the brain gets used to the drug, it takes ever more caffeine for the same energy “boost”. Caffeine withdrawal results once a person stops consuming caffeine. Withdrawal symptoms are consistent with other drugs, but without the life-threatening severity of alcohol or Valium withdrawal. Caffeine withdrawal typically begins within 24 hours and can last for a week or more with these symptoms:

· Headaches
· Irritability
· Anxiety
· Fatigue

Ironic huh – the top three symptoms can result from too much caffeine or too little.

Product	Size in Oz.	Total Caffeine in mg
Excedrin, Extra Str,	2 tablets	130
Mountain Dew Game Fuel	20	120
Brewed coffee	8	60-120
Double espresso	2	45-100
Snapple Elements	18	108
Ben & Jerry's Coffee Fudge Frozen Yogurt	8	85
Red Bull	8.5	80
Instant coffee	8	70
Tea - black	8	45-60
Mountain Dew	12	55
Lipton Iced Teas	20	50
TaB	12	47
Diet Coca Cola	12	45
RC Cola	12	43
Sunkist Orange Soda	12	41-42
Dr. Pepper	12	41
Pepsi	12	38
Coke Classic	12	35
Dark Chocolate bar	1.45	31
A&W Cream Soda	12	29
Barq's Root Beer	12	22
Tea - green	8	20
Tea - white	8	15
Chocolate Bar	1.55	9
Chocolate milk	8	5
Hot Chocolate	8	5
Decaf coffee	8	1-5
Herbal Tea	8	0
7-up, Fanta, Fresca, Sprite	12	0
Yoo-Hoo Chocolate	8	0

Bottom Line

Use the chart above get a perspective on the caffeine strength of common items. Suppose you want to set a limit of 100mg per day. That would mean a limit of 1 coffee, 3 Cokes, 4 Root Beers, 11 Milk Chocolate bars or 20 glasses of chocolate milk.

Resources

http://coffeetea.about.com/library/blcaffeine.htm
http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/AN01211
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/NU00600
http://www.myaddiction.com/education/articles/caffeine_addiction.html