Scientists Raise Evidence to Support the Need for Caffeine Regulation
Although caffeine is considered to be benign, there’s a growing awareness that its consumption is associated with substantial harm, according to an editorial published in the Journal of Caffeine Research.
Caffeine, as we know it, is the bitter substance found in coffee, chocolate, kola nuts, tea, fizzy drinks, and certain medications. Despite its not-so desirable taste, this natural substance has a stimulating effect in humans and sometimes, can be addictive. Caffeine is the most consumed psychoactive drug. But unlike other psychoactive drugs, caffeine use is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. According to DrugScope (national membership organisation for the drug sector), people in Britain drink about 123 million cups of tea everyday on an average, which contain 40mg of caffeine.
Is it time to regulate the caffeine industry?
Jack E. James, PhD, the editor-in-chief of the journal, wrote an article entitled "Death by Caffeine: How Many Caffeine-related Fatalities and Near-misses Must There Be before We Regulate?” that serves as a call to the people and the scientific community to act on the rising number of caffeine-related toxicity. There, he explores the lethal effects of caffeine and the proliferation of the ‘caffeinated environment’. For instance, the substance is widely used in the production of energy drinks, candies, medications, alcoholic beverages, and in bottled water. The growing addiction over caffeine of many people has led to massive health concerns. In Sweden for example, four people died due to caffeine toxicity in just one year. Despite this, the caffeine industry continues to grow. Aside from being the morning beverage choice of millions of people worldwide, caffeine is increasingly added to a wide range of food products.
Dr James pointed out that although records show that caffeine is often involved in cases of poisoning, there was no data showing the contributory role of caffeine in fatal and near-fatal conditions when other compounds have been determined. Because of this, it is possible that there are more cases of caffeine-related toxicity than what has been reported.
Lethality of Caffeine
According to Dr James, the lethal dose of caffeine in adults was estimated to be 10g. Symptoms of caffeine toxicity that precede death include vomiting, palpitation, cardiac arrhythmia, abdominal pain, agitation and seizure. He added that the risk of fatal and non-fatal harm brought by caffeine is increased by different factors, such as the unregulated availability of the substance to adults and children, and its ability to be easily absorbed by the body. Dr James calls for more research to unravel the extent of harm of this psychoactive drug.
Caffeine Policy
“Relevant scientific evidence, though limited, strongly vindicates the rising tide of concern expressed in the public media and scientific literature alike regarding the potential for caffeine-related harm” Dr James wrote. He said some countries have already undertaken measures against caffeine-related health concerns. Denmark, France, and Norway for example, have introduced sales restriction in one major brand of energy drink containing high levels of caffeine. In Canada, the government required the same product to put warning on the label, telling the public it should not be mixed with alcohol. In other countries, highly caffeinated products also contain warning labels. In Sweden, the maximum quantity of caffeine tablets a consumer can buy over-the-counter has been reduced from 250 to 30.
Dear Readers,
Do you think the United Kingdom should also consider creating policies to regulate caffeine use? Why or why not?
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