Aug 9, 2007 11:30 pm US/Eastern
Doctors Say Americans Overdoing The Caffeine
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The number of caffeinated products is soaring. And so is our addiction to them. The potential consequences are sobering.
For most people, a cup of joe is the easiest route to a caffeine jolt.
"If I don't drink it almost every morning I get a headache," one man said.
"Mostly hot coffee in the morning to wake up," is what another said he needs.
Then there are those popular energy drinks. And you won't believe the non-beverage products now caffeinated on purpose.
Shower Shock is the first caffeinated soap. One shower is supposed to give you 200 milligrams of caffeine, more than a cup of coffee.
There are also lip balm, sunflower seeds and, yes, caffeinated frosting for doughnuts.
"The way that we developed them it allows us to control the amount of caffeine," said that product's creator.
The question is: Why do so many of us need this extra buzz, and are we hurting ourselves in the long run?
"I think we are dealing with a sleep-deprived nation," said Dr. Kenneth Sassower, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Sassower said Americans get much less sleep than they need, then grab caffeine to try to maintain a 24/7 lifestyle.
"Low and behold, we're having trouble getting to sleep at night," he said. "So the cycle keeps perpetuating itself over time and that is the real problem with this."
And this vicious cycle is dangerous, according to Dr. Charles Czeisler, a sleep expert at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
"When we suppress the release of melatonin by trying work at night and get light exposure at night," Czeisler said, "that increases our risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer."
Many of these new products are particularly appealing to young people who already drink too much soda and coffee and aren't getting enough sleep.
"We are undermining their ability to learn in school by pumping them full of caffeine and making it much more difficult for them to get the sleep they need," Czeisler said.
How much caffeine is OK? Kids should have very little – or none. For adults, it really depends on your sensitivity to caffeinated products and whether they are affecting your sleep.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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