“ [ Caffeine ] can provide a nice mental boost , but it also has the potential to disrupt sleep , increase anxiety and can make some heart conditions worse . ” —Dr. Jason Bateman, emergency medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente
Adds Palomarez: “It’s easy to lose track if you consume high doses of caffeine in multiple products.” Energy drinks are a concern because they contain high levels of caffeine, some as much as over 300 mg a can. “Across the North Bay, there is a continuing interest in these drinks,” says Ben Anders, owner of Blue Dog Beverage, a Sacramento-based beverage distributor. “But now consumers are looking for energy drinks that contain less caffeine than before.” Consumers should also be cautious because energy drinks can contain high levels of other substances that affect the body and central nervous system. These include sugar; niacin, a B3 vitamin that can cause flushing and itching; and taurine, an amino acid that may produce stimulant-like effects. “[Certain combinations] can lead to rapid spikes in heart rates, increased blood pressure and, in some cases, heart palpitations or arrhythmias [irregular heartbeats]. Pre-workout supplements often contain large doses of caffeine and other stimulants, which can lead to health issues when combined with intense physical activity,” says Dr. Jason Bateman, an emergency medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael. Santa Rosa Junior College’s (SRJC’s) Student Health Services team currently teaches students about caffeine through its Santa Rosa and Petaluma clinics. It also organizes peer outreach efforts on social media, in webinars and in person, like club tables. “Caffeine overuse is considered a mental health issue. We mix it in with messages about stress reduction and reducing test anxiety. We also share information about how caffeine affects athletic performance, particularly when we talk to student athletes about chemicals that would impact their performance,” says Rebecca Norwick, director of Student Health Services for Santa Rosa Junior College. Sales, distribution and new choices Blue Dog Beverage sells over 700 beverages to different types of venues in the North Bay—from grocers and hardware stores to restaurants, bars and wineries. Their list of products includes waters, teas, sodas and energy drinks. Not many of the company’s offerings are caffeinated. “Yet certain caffeinated sodas, including glass bottle Dr. Pepper and bottled Coca-Cola made in Mexico, sell extremely well. All kinds of teas, like Harney & Sons and Ito En, are pretty popular. Most ready-to-drink teas contain caffeine. In addition, a number of the caffeinated energy drinks, like yerba mate and Bawls, are selling steady,” says Anders. The popularity of Guayakí Yerba Mate, which has offices in Sebastopol and Venice, California, is notable in particular. The success of this company shows that consumers are interested in
cold beverages that contain more caffeine than the average cup of coffee. A 15.5-ounce can of Guayakí Yerba Mate’s organic Enlighten Mint contains 150 mg of caffeine. In comparison, the average 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains 96 mg of caffeine, an 8-ounce cup of brewed black tea 47 mg of caffeine and an 8-ounce cola 22 mg of caffeine. In mid-January, Guayakí announced it was transitioning to a third-party distribution model to position it for a growth phase. Over the last three years, Guayakí added over 40,000 outlets, or locations where its products are offered. Other recently popular caffeinated beverages that are seeing more sales locally include guarana-based energy drinks like Rockstar, caffeinated waters like Celsius, sparkling fruit juice blends like Starbucks Refreshers , which are made with green coffee extract and boba teas that have black tea or green tea as a base. “We have handouts that we give students so they can learn the amount of caffeine in common drinks, from green tea to Red Bull. When individuals engage in irregular consumption, like sipping caffeinated water all day long or topping off a coffee for hours, they will have trouble estimating their intake,” says Norwick. Making sense of the numbers It is almost impossible to correlate sales of caffeinated foods with daily caffeine intake. This is because a person could purchase a shelf-stable item like pre-workout powder and consume it in different amounts each day: one scoop with water on Monday, three scoops with water on Thursday. They could also share items that are designed to be split, like squares of chocolate. Data indicate that beverages are a better tool to measure caffeine consumption. Beverages contain the majority of caffeine the average person consumes. A 2015 study from the American Society for Nutrition on U.S. caffeine consumption indicated beverages provided 98% of the caffeine a person ingests. Further, a person does not usually share a beverage. A purchaser typically consumes a made-to-order caffeinated beverage—like a hot or iced coffee—close to the time of purchase. Multiple academic studies indicate that close to 90% of adults in the U.S. regularly consume caffeine, with most having at least one caffeinated beverage a day. In 2024, shoppers around the world bought more caffeinated drinks at the grocery store, a phenomenon market analysts called “caffeine-fueled growth.” It occurred across multiple categories, with instant coffee seeing a 1.5% penetration growth, or growth to expand the market, year over year. Sports and energy drinks gained a 1.2% penetration growth and carbonated soft drinks
56 NorthBaybiz
February 2025
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