Caffeine - Usage Trends

Usage Trends

Ninety-five percent of all caffeine is consumed in the form of tea and coffee. In the United States and Scandinavian countries, coffee is the main source of total caffeine consumption. In the United Kingdom, tea accounts for about three-quarters of the total caffeine intake. Following water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world.

"People generally take caffeine in forms so diluted as to make it highly unlikely that excessive doses—more than 300 or 400 milligrams at a sitting—will be ingested," noted Edward M. Brecher in The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs. "People have also developed the custom of drinking coffee and tea after a meal," he added, offering "further protection for the stomach lining."

From Beans and Leaves to Power Drinks

Both health claims and controversies have followed caffeine through the centuries. Studies warning of the harmful effects of caffeine began surfacing in the 1960s. By the early 2000s, though, most follow-ups to those studies failed to duplicate the initial findings. Around the same time, youth culture began to thrive on the excessive use of caffeine. New drinks such as Red Bull, Jolt, and Adrenaline Rush purposely contained large amounts of the stimulant.

Although moderate use of caffeine has been deemed safe by medical researchers, the "power drinks" of the twenty-first century increased the risk of possible negative effects on users. While doing research in London, Reid interviewed several young users of Red Bull. "I've had eight.… I'm flying," reported one. Another compared drinking two tins of the energy drink to "drinking a pint of speedThe street name for amphetamines.."

Critics of popular beverages such as Red Bull and Adrenaline Rush suggest that the caffeine content, along with the massive doses of sugar in each can, pose a significant health risk. These drinks do provide users with an energy boost. But some researchers think they also increase the chance of dehydration among athletes and all-night dancers. The high sugar content of the drinks impairs the body's ability to replenish fluids lost through sweat.

Energy drinks are also used as mixers for alcoholic drinks. The combination of the two can cause heart damage. In addition, "people who ingest a lot of caffeine, a stimulant, along with a lot of alcohol … won't realize how drunk they really are," warned Elizabeth Cohen on the CNN.com/HEALTH Web site. This could lead people to believe they are capable of driving when they really are not.