A new study has shown that if you consume a lot caffeine every day through coffee, soda, and other beverages, this could affect your body’s ability to absorb vitamin D.
Researchers from China and Brazil recently collaborated on a study soon to be published in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. The study builds on earlier research that concluded caffeine consumption is associated with a reduced production of vitamin D receptors.
To further investigate, this study analyzed the nutritional data of more than 13,000 participants in a major US health and nutrition survey conducted between 2005 and 2006. With this, they measured the clinical odds that vitamin D deficiency based on caffeine intake.
If you consume a lot of caffeinated coffee, your body reduces the absorption of vitamin D
In fact, the researchers concluded that the more caffeine the participants consumed, the more likely they were to develop a vitamin D deficiency.
In the study abstract, the authors clearly state that: “Higher dietary caffeine intake was associated with vitamin D deficiency in a representative sample of the US population.”
Research limitations
It is important to note that the researchers note that more research is still needed to determine if caffeine directly causes this vitamin D deficiency. At this time, it is unclear what healthy levels of caffeine are in the general population compared to those lower levels of vitamin D than were observed in individuals.
another question can be how caffeine affects vitamin d levels in the elderlysince the data used in this study were in people aged 30 to 47 years.
How do you know if you are consuming too much caffeine?
The maximum recommended amount of caffeine for healthy adults is usually 400 mg per day. If someone consumes more caffeine than this amount, then a caffeine overdose. However, the safe amount of caffeine per day varies for each person based on age, weight, and general health.
This makes it difficult to know the exact amount of caffeine that can lead to an overdose. For example, adolescents should limit their consumption of caffeinated beverages so that they do not exceed a total of 100 mg of caffeine per day.
The following chart shows the amount of caffeine in some popular beverages per serving:
| Portion (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | |
| filter coffee (simple) | 355 | 260 |
| black tea | 237 | 30-80 |
| Drinks without alcohol | 355 | 30-70 |
| Energy drinks (Redbull) | 245 | 80 |
Symptoms of consuming too much caffeine
High doses of caffeine can cause significant health problems, such as cardiac arrhythmias and seizures. If you drink a lot of coffee throughout the day, you should cut back if you experience any of the following symptoms of caffeine overdose.
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- increased thirst
- Insomnia
- Headache
- Fever
- Irritability
Other symptoms are more serious and require immediate medical attention. These are the most serious symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing
- vomiting
- Delusions
- Confusion
- Chest pain
- Irregular heartbeat or tachycardia
- uncontrolled muscle movements
- Muscle spasms
Even babies can show symptoms of caffeine overdose. This can happen when breast milk contains excessive amounts of caffeine. Some mild symptoms include nausea and muscle cramps, with constant tension and then relaxation. The most serious symptoms in babies are vomiting, rapid breathing, and shock.
What to do if you experience symptoms of too much caffeine
Treatment aims to remove caffeine from the body and reduce symptoms. To this end, a doctor may prescribe activated charcoal, which is a standard treatment for a medication or drug overdose, which often prevents caffeine from reaching the gastrointestinal tract.
If caffeine has already entered your gastrointestinal tract, your doctor may recommend taking a laxative or even a gastric lavage.
If symptoms are mild, you can simply stop consuming any dietary sources of caffeine for the rest of the day and drink plenty of water. You may benefit from moderate exercise and eating foods that are high in potassium or magnesium, such as bananas and dark green leafy vegetables.