Caffeine: How Much is Too Much?
6/18/202642 min
Today we’re revisiting caffeine. It’s a drug that tons of us take every day. So, is that a bad thing?? What is it really doing to our bodies and our brains? Plus — if we get it in the form of energy drinks, is that super dangerous? We talk to Dr. Astrid Nehlig, Prof. Gregory Marcus, and Prof. Sachin Shah. [REBROADCAST]
Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsCaffeine
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Our love/hate relationship with caffeine
(04:40) How coffee affects our gut
(07:29) How coffee affects our brain
(12:59) How coffee affects our sleep
(17:58) Coffee makes us go vroom vroom vroom!
(20:45) Are we caffeine addicts??
(28:15) Are energy drinks dangerous?
This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, as well as Nick DelRose, Joel Werner, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Sarah Baum. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Special thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode – including Dr. Bryan Saunders, Dr. Sergi Ferré, Prof. Andreas Heinz, Prof. Christine Curran, Dr. Erikka Loftfield, Dr. Felix Oberhoffer, Dr. Alan Wayne Jones, and Dr. Vijay Yadav. Extra special thanks to Jason Vytlacil and the Zukerman family.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsWendy Zukerman· Host0:00
Hi. I'm Wendy Zukerman, and you're listening to Science Vs. And this is the show that pits facts against flat whites. [upbeat music] On today's show, caffeine. Should you quit it? [upbeat music] Caffeine is one of the most used drugs in the world. 85% of people in the US drink at least one caffeinated beverage each day, and that includes kids. But yet despite the fact that we are shoving this drink down our pie holes, there have always been these fears that caffeine is bad for our health.
Sachin Shah· Guest0:36
[upbeat music] Your cup of coffee could soon come with a spoonful of cancer warning.
Wendy Zukerman· Host0:41
My heart was racing. I was super anxious. Something was happening. I was having a panic attack.
Rose Rimler· Host0:46
Could it all be a sign, though, of a serious problem?
Astrid Nehlig· Guest0:48
A problem like caffeine addiction.
Wendy Zukerman· Host0:50
[upbeat music] And our worries around caffeine have reached new heights when it comes to energy drinks. Just last year, a 17-year-old from Texas died after drinking Alani Nu.
Speaker 5· Soundbite1:00
A Texas family is filing a wrongful death lawsuit over an energy drink that they claim killed a teenage girl.
Speaker 6· Soundbite1:07
According to family lawyers, a coroner's report shows that she died from an enlarged heart caused by stress and a large amount of caffeine from Alani energy drinks.
Wendy Zukerman· Host1:16
The distributor being sued denies the claims, and the company that makes the drink says it's labeled, "Not recommended for children." But this is just the latest in a string of scary stories from the past several years of people,