Lynn Bodoni: Yeah, caffeine gives me major heartburn, too. My doctor said something to the effect that “caffeine acts to open the upper valve of your stomach and close the lower valve,” in effect trapping all the acid in place and sharing it with the esophagus. I gave up coffee, coke and chocolate (well, almost all) and the heartburn went away.
We learned in medical school that caffiene is a minor cardiac risk factor if you drink 8 or more cups a day, but still far less important than diabetes (which counts as 2 or 3 risk factors!), family history, high LDL:HDL cholesterol ratio, obesity or hypertension.
If you are a teenage girl and you drink a lot of cola and don’t exercise, then you are at increased risk for osteoporosis. Again, caffiene by itself is not a strong risk factor.
You would likely barf up your Vivarin long before you reached the LD50.
Dr. Paprika. MD, B.Eng