Consumers have craved caffeine for centuries. Almost everyone is an addict or knows someone who can’t wake up without a morning cup of coffee. But now, marketers and scientists are cashing in on the caffeine craze and introducing it in everything from sunflower seeds to body lotions, according to an article on Time.com.
The caffeine trend began with the introduction of highly caffeinated energy drinks in the last part of the last century. But now, the caffeine craze is in full bloom, according to the market research giant Mintel. In the past five years, firms have launched at least 126 caffeinated food products for sale in the U.S., with twenty-nine such products introduced this year alone.
Although caffeine is considered a relatively safe drug, a 1998 study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, found that 7% of caffeine users have experienced what is called caffeine intoxication. Caffeine intoxication is characterized by nervousness, insomnia, tachycardia and psychomotor agitation and has even led to death in rare instances. The symptoms abate when users stop consuming caffeine, but with the new prevalence of caffeinated products, consumers may no longer be aware of their limits and thus more likely to overuse.
Many of the new products don’t say how much caffeine is in their product on the label. Companies are even getting kids in on the craze, with products like Jelly Belly's Extreme Sport Beans, which the company calls "Energizing Jelly Beans." Sumseeds, a brand of caffeinated sunflower seeds, contain 120 mg of caffeine per packet, 16% more than in a typical 6-oz. serving of coffee. Shower Shock soap is designed to deliver a crackling 200 mg of caffeine when lathered into the skin, twice the amount in that same cup of coffee.
The FDA has not yet responded to petitions started by a Johns Hopkins neuroscience professor named Roland Griffiths, that ask that caffeinated products be labeled.
Although there is no definitive finding as of late that the new stream of caffeine has affected public health, it is definitely affecting the youth of the nation.
Doctors recommend that children not have any caffeine, caffeine is being put into traditional childhood junk food favorites, including candy, chips, gum and other snacks. It was reported that 4 middle school boys were sent to the emergency room after school officials thought they were suffering symptoms of a heart attack, including profuse sweating. It turns out that the boys had simply consumed energy drinks.
Because there is no official action on caffeine products, consumers should read labels carefully and factor in any additional caffeine consumption, beyond their coffee and tea, into their daily total.
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