Sodas, energy drinks, coffee, even some foods can have too much caffeine for children. It's especially hazardous for children with a heart condition. Pregnant women should also limit their caffeine intake (see chart) to protect the fetus.
Caffeine Jitters
“People often don’t understand the potential risk of these beverages,” says Bruce A. Goldberger, director of forensic toxicology at the University of Florida’s pathology labs.
Note that on the chart below 80 mg is the daily limit for a 10-year old, which means a whole bottle of Mountain Dew soda or a cup of ordinary coffee are too much.
Pregnant women are advised not to exceed 200 mg a day, which means two cups of regular coffee are too much as is one 5 Hour Energy shot.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration is investigating reports of five deaths linked to Monster Energy drinks and 13 deaths linked to 5-Hour Energy shots.
... a teenage girl ... died in 2011 of a heart arrhythmia. The 14-year-old, Anais Fournier, consumed a 24-oz Monster Energy drink at a mall near Hagerstown, Md. The next day, she drank another 24-oz can and then collapsed.
Each can of Monster contains an estimated 240 to 280 mg of caffeine, a daily dose that is considered safe for adults. Fournier, however, was younger and smaller than the average adult and had a preexisting heart condition.
EMERGENCIES
Energy drinks are being increasingly linked with hospital visits in the U.S. NOTE: ER visits for 2012 not yet available.
