Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Caffeine Toxicity

Alexandra Murray  1 , Jeremy Traylor  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Caffeine Toxicity

Alexandra Murray et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Caffeine is a stimulant that has been used globally for centuries due to its ability to improve mental alertness. Approximately 85% of Americans consume caffeine daily, with an average cup of coffee containing between 40 and 150 mg of caffeine. Caffeine can be found in various over-the-counter products, such as energy drinks, appetite suppressants, stimulants, exercise supplements, decongestants, bronchodilators, and mental stimulants, increasing the risk of toxicity with inadvertent overuse or severe toxicity with an intentional overdose.

Lethal doses of caffeine have been reported at blood concentrations of 80 to 100 μg/mL, which can result from ingesting approximately 10 g or more of caffeine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Alexandra Murray declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Jeremy Traylor declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Tran NL, Barraj LM, Bi X, Jack MM. Trends and patterns of caffeine consumption among US teenagers and young adults, NHANES 2003-2012. Food Chem Toxicol. 2016 Aug;94:227-42. - PubMed
    1. Evans J, Richards JR, Battisti AS. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2024. May 29, Caffeine. - PubMed
    1. Nordt SP, Vilke GM, Clark RF, Lee Cantrell F, Chan TC, Galinato M, Nguyen V, Castillo EM. Energy drink use and adverse effects among emergency department patients. J Community Health. 2012 Oct;37(5):976-81. - PubMed
    1. Cappelletti S, Piacentino D, Fineschi V, Frati P, Cipolloni L, Aromatario M. Caffeine-Related Deaths: Manner of Deaths and Categories at Risk. Nutrients. 2018 May 14;10(5) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Holmgren P, Nordén-Pettersson L, Ahlner J. Caffeine fatalities--four case reports. Forensic Sci Int. 2004 Jan 06;139(1):71-3. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources