Companies don't always list caffeine content on food and drink labels. Used to be, most people got their dose via coffee, and it was relatively easy to stay under the FDA's recommended limit of 400 milligrams a day (that's four of those old-school cups). One of the oldest drugs in human history and present in dozens of plants, caffeine works by blocking a sleep-inducing chemical called adenosine. "Otherwise, it's risky." No wonder we're confused. "Caffeine can have benefits in certain amounts, for certain people, under certain conditions," says Lisa Lefferts, a senior scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. After all, caffeine may kick-start our mornings, but at the end of the day, it is a drug-a powerful, addictive one that has spurred a newly coined malady: "caffeine-use disorder." It's a caffeine-palooza that the FDA commissioner called "truly mind-boggling" before ordering safety checks. Upscale java shops now routinely double the espresso content of their drinks even tea businesses sell "high-caffeine" blends.Īmerica is lapping it up: 80 percent of people now get a daily dose. Not to be outdone, the standard bearer-the coffee industry-is upping its ante: Last year, a company called Death Wish Coffee unleashed a 12-ounce cup of joe that packs 650 milligrams of caffeine (the old-school cup had around 100 milligrams). DIY-ers can bake with caffeinated flour, and the calorie-conscious can sip supercharged water. But also palate-pleasing caffeinated fruit juices, potato chips, waffles, and chewing gums. There are the obvious sources, of course, such as energy drinks-now a $10 billion business. Caffeine fiends now have other options - a lot of other options.Īnd they don't have to look far. Suddenly, that double-shot, no-whip, nonfat, hazelnut-mocha latte feels a little, well, passé.
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