A pediatrician is warning of the dangers of combining energy drinks with other caffeinated beverages following the death of a South Carolina teenager. Dr. Robert Tozzi at Hackensack University Medical Center says energy drinks contain chemicals that can be very dangerous when combined with caffeine.
The timing for the message couldn’t be better – as a South Carolina coroner on Monday ruled the cause of death for 16-year-old Davis Cripe as a "caffeine-induced cardiac event."
Officials say Cripe drank a large diet Mountain Dew soda, coffee and an energy drink within a two-hour stretch. A short time later, he collapsed and was pronounced dead at a hospital. How much caffeine is okay for teens in the course of a day? About 100-milligrams (mg) – that’s the amount in an eight-ounce cup of coffee, or a 16-ounce can of soda. For adults, it’s considered safe to consume between 400-500-mg over 24 hours.
Source: Metro Networks