In the US, a 16-year-old teenager died as a result of a caffeine overdose.
Photo: Istock
That caffeine in high doses is not healthy, many people know. However, it was previously thought that especially people with heart disease should avoid caffeine in large quantities. Now a 16-year-old died in the US state of Colorado, because he consumed a lot of caffeine within a short time. There was no heart disease.
According to the responsible forensic doctor, the adolescent should have drunk a large bottle of Mountain Dew - a caffeinated lemonade - a caffé latte and another energy drink within two hours. After that, the 16-year-old collapsed in his classroom and died in the hospital. Reason for the sudden death: a cardiac arrest. It was not the amount of caffeine that was decisive, but the shortness of time in which the boy had taken the drinks.
The teenager was considered reasonable. He had neither taken drugs nor drunk alcohol .
Physicians warn against high caffeine intake, especially among adolescents. It is difficult to judge how caffeine is tolerated. In some people, little of the alkaloid can lead to serious consequences. Parents should talk to their children and make them aware of the dangers of harmless energy drinks.
