Small amounts can be fatal Risk Institute warns against too much caffeine powder

The German Institute for Risk Assessment has come to the conclusion that caffeine in powder form can cause considerable damage to health. Even small amounts can be fatal.

Caffeine in powder form can cause considerable health problems. This is the conclusion reached by the German Institute for Risk Assessment. The risk of accidental overdose is high. One death has already occurred in Germany as a result.

Caffeine powder is sold commercially as a dietary supplement. Even small amounts, i.e. one to two teaspoons, can be fatal, according to the German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).

No more than 0.4 grams per day

The European Food Safety Authority recommends no more than 0.2 grams of caffeine as a single dose and no more than 0.4 grams spread over the day for healthy adults. The Risk Institute explained that such a small amount of pure caffeine powder is difficult to measure accurately, meaning that an overdose could easily occur. Kitchen scales usually only measure relatively accurately from one gram upwards.

Excessive amounts of caffeine would cause severe restlessness, nausea, increased blood pressure, palpitations or cardiac arrhythmia. From an intake of five to ten grams, pure caffeine is life-threatening. For comparison: for five grams of caffeine, a person would have to drink around ten liters of coffee. With caffeine powder, only one or two teaspoons are needed, the report continued.

According to the information, there has already been one death in Germany. A young woman died of acute caffeine poisoning because she had consumed two teaspoons of a highly concentrated caffeine powder. Caffeine powder is considered a foodstuff and is freely available for sale.