Products containing extremely high amounts of caffeine are easily purchased online and a scientist warns Kiwis need to wise up on the dangers. Mava Moayyed reports for Fair Go.
It’s the silent hero that gets you going in the morning and picks you up in an afternoon slump. About 73% of New Zealanders consume caffeine daily and, for most people, typical caffeine intake from coffee and tea poses minimal risk.
But University of Auckland nutritional physiologist Associate Professor Jennifer Miles-Chan has raised concerns about how easy it is to buy high potency caffeine products online that could easily be consumed in excess.
In New Zealand, there are varying standards as to the amount of caffeine allowed in food and beverages.
In energy drinks, no more than 32mg of caffeine per 100ml is allowed while pure caffeine food products are banned from retail sale in Australia and New Zealand.
Foods must contain less than 5% caffeine in solid or semi-solid foods (like powders).
For external use only
A quick Google search reveals you can buy 99% pure caffeine powder from a Christchurch-based company. The powder can be purchased in various amounts, including 5kgs for $700.
While the website states the powder is “for external use only”, other wording on the site could suggest some people are buying the powder to ingest, warning the product is “highly toxic” even in small doses with just one teaspoon containing “the same amount of caffeine as 28 cups of coffee”.
Miles-Chan says she’s “very surprised to see it available online” regardless of what it is being marketed for.
“The danger of powder is that it would be very easy to accidentally overdose, particularly as a harmful dose is small in comparison to the packet size. Depending on the caffeine content of a drink, it might take fifty-plus drinks to reach a fatal dose of caffeine, but if a powder is consumed then the dose could be reached by consuming one to two teaspoons,” she says.
In response to a request for comment, the seller thesourcery.co.nz said, “Our product is legally sold for topical use only. Our website makes it very clear our product should not be ingested and that it could be highly dangerous to do so.”
Caffeine in the fitness sphere
Many powders with lower concentrations of caffeine are marketed for consumption as “pre-workout supplements”.
Zombie Labs extreme stimulant pre-workout powder has 400mg of caffeine in two scoops – the caffeine-equivalent of four shots of espresso.
The powder is for sale on supplements.co.nz and is marketed as an “unbelievable sensory experience that delivers euphoric moods and energy levels”. It warns consumers that it is “for serious energy hunters only”.
Overall, the concentration of caffeine is within the Food Standards rules, but one serve would result in two times the recommended single dose of caffeine for adults. It also hits the overall limit for daily intake of caffeine from all sources.
Forty scoops of the product sells for $68.90 and comes in flavors like Crazy Cotton Candy, Racing Rainbow Lolly, and Lethal Lime Fizz.
The seller did not respond to a request for comment.
Double shot espresso in a pill
Another available product is caffeine capsules like NoWhey Caffeine which come in packs of 400 for $29.95.
They’re described as “a carefully measured dose of caffeine… to help you stay alert, focused, and energized throughout your day.”
Each capsule contains 200mg of caffeine, the maximum recommended dose in a single serve.
CEO of Xplosiv Supplements, John Birrell said the product is legally allowed to be marketed and sold in New Zealand. “The products clearly identify the quantity of caffeine in them and the buyer has a choice if they buy a similar product from the supermarket or they get a double shot espresso coffee.”
“There’s nothing stopping consumers getting high potency caffeine products overseas and importing them from personal use. In our model, we have specialised staff in store to offer advice, ask for age identification when buying caffeinated products, and explain the effects caffeine will have and also tolerance levels that suit each person.”
Increased blood pressure and heart rate
Miles-Chan says caffeine is a central nervous system stimulator and enters your bloodstream in about 30 to 45 minutes. It has a long half-life, which means it lingers in your bloodstream for about five hours
“That’s going to cause adrenaline to be released. It’s going to cause your blood vessels to all tighten up. It’s going to cause your blood pressure to increase, your heart rate to increase. It’s going to give you a little bit of the jitters.” Too much caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, and nausea. Larger doses might cause headache, anxiety, and chest pain.
A 21-year-old Australian man died after putting too much pure caffeine powder in his protein shake and, in the United States, at least two deaths have been attributed to highly concentrated caffeine products.
A Fair Go comparison found most 500ml energy drinks in New Zealand have between 150 and 160mg of caffeine. No Doz caffeine tablets, available at supermarkets, service stations and chemists, have 100mg per dose.
Know what you’re consuming
Miles-Chan said that because foods and drink with caffeine are often marketed as something “attractive”, it can be hard for people to see any danger associated with them.
“I think there should be much more education on the dangerous of consuming high doses of caffeine, and how to recognise the signs and symptoms, and what to do if you accidentally consume too much,” she said.
“It also seems to me that the supplement industry is a bit like the Wild West, and companies are always going to try and push as close to the boundaries as they can, just as young people are always going to experiment. So why not empower people with the knowledge to make informed choices, rather than solely relying on restrictions and legislation?”
Watch the Fair Go investigation into energy drinks on TVNZ+.
