Daily Times

Excess of anything is bad, especially something that has been known to cause harm. Unfortunately, people don’t think about it until it’s too late. Davis Allen Cripe, a 16-year-old high school student, obliviously consumed a lot of caffeinated beverages within a period of two hours and collapsed during class last month, according to a county coroner.

The caffeine took its toll on the US’ South Carolina state resident causing a probable arrhythmia, which resulted in his death.

During an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body, and lack of blood flow affects the brain, heart and other organs, reports CNN.

The teenager had consumed three drinks containing caffeine – a cafe latte purchased from McDonald’s, large Diet Mountain Dew and an energy drink – before collapsing in his classroom at Spring Hill High School on April 26, Richland county coroner Gary Watts announced in a news conference on Monday.

He collapsed just before 2:30pm and according to Watts, was pronounced dead at 3:40pm. He was in perfect health, as confirmed by the autopsy, which showed no undiagnosed heart conditions and there were no conditions that could have been triggered by the caffeine ingestion.

Also, no other drugs or alcohol were found in the teen’s system, Watts said.

“This was not an overdose. We lost Davis from a totally legal substance, ” Watts said, adding “Our purpose here today is to let people know, especially our young kids in school, that these drinks can be dangerous, and be very careful with how you use them.”

The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that adolescents, age 12 to 18, should not consume more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day, CNN reported.

A 2014 study found an estimated 73 percent of children across the US consume some kind of caffeine each day. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, adults can consume 400 milligrammes of caffeine per day – equivalent to four or five cups of coffee – without experiencing side effects.