This Time the Science is Settled

I got music: Black eye in a red holiday cup, good reads,
laptop, and cellphone - who could ask for anything more?

Ever since my brother introduced me to the drink I have been averaging two blackeyes (a coffee with two shots of espresso) per week. The caffeine noticeably improves my mental acuity, and I get more work done.

The beginning of November kicks off the season of multitasking and wrapping up projects, and the question must be asked: is caffeine over-consumption dangerous?

It is possible for a person to die from too much caffeine, “but that would mean about 14,000 milligrams, or around 140 8-ounce cups of coffee in one day,” [Johns Hopkins professor Matthew] Johnson says. Consuming that much would be difficult because of coffee’s self-limiting nature. “One cup makes you feel good and alert, but five cups may make you feel like your stomach is cramping,” he says. “You feel wired and you wouldn’t typically be able to go overboard.”

This is very good news. Once science tells you what you want to hear, there's no point in researching it further. © 2014 Stephen Yuen