I don't doubt the news article on this, but even with caffeine pills/powder it's near half a fistful to get to LD50 judging by my caffeine tablets. It's not impossible to consume, but it'd be distinctly unpleasant long before you get even anywhere close to dangerous levels.
For my high-caffeine pre-workout powder, I suspect I'd vomit long before I'd get anywhere near. Pure caffeine is less unpleasant, but still pretty awful, which I guess is why we don't see more deaths from it despite the widespread use.
I agree with you that there really ought to be caution around giving advice on safety-critical things, but this one really is right up there in freak accident territory, in the intersection of somewhat dangerous substances sold in a poorly regulated form (e.g. there's little reason for these to be sold as bulk powders instead of pressed into pills other than making people feel more macho downing awful tasting drinks instead of taking pills).
I wonder if they’re thinking 200mg per kilo to trigger cell death. I have trouble believing a human heart surviving a dose of 50mg/kg. Half of them surviving four times that much? No. I don’t believe it.
Found an article about a teenager who died after three strong beverages. The coroner is careful to point out that this was likely an underlying medical condition not the caffeine. The health professional they interviewed claims 10g is lethal for “most” people, which would be 100-150mg/kg. That still seems like something an ER doctor would roll their eyes at.
For my high-caffeine pre-workout powder, I suspect I'd vomit long before I'd get anywhere near. Pure caffeine is less unpleasant, but still pretty awful, which I guess is why we don't see more deaths from it despite the widespread use.
I agree with you that there really ought to be caution around giving advice on safety-critical things, but this one really is right up there in freak accident territory, in the intersection of somewhat dangerous substances sold in a poorly regulated form (e.g. there's little reason for these to be sold as bulk powders instead of pressed into pills other than making people feel more macho downing awful tasting drinks instead of taking pills).