The headlines are enticing. A company launches its newest product: caffeine inhalers. Each puff of these inhalers will deliver tiny particles of caffeine, and will provide an instant shot of energy. We suspect this product will be appealing to consumers… But, is it safe?
For starters, though the product is being promoted as “inhaled,” it’s not actually inhaled at all. Particles coat the back of the throat and are then swallowed. Each inhaler contains a total of 100mg of caffeine, roughly the amount in one small cup of coffee. That amount of caffeine is distributed over five or six puffs.
Caffeine delivered in this way is not regulated by the FDA, which leaves potential for adulteration of the substances that will be contained in the product. Additionally, one could not be certain that the dose reported on the label given with each puff is correct. And, since “inhaling” caffeine is so easy, one could quickly ingest doses that could have toxic side effects. It takes a lot longer to drink five cups of coffee than it does to get the same dose from a few caffeine inhalers. And what happens if you do go through multiple caffeine inhalers in a row?
The headlines are enticing. A company launches its newest product: caffeine inhalers. Each puff of these inhalers will deliver tiny particles of caffeine, and will provide an instant shot of energy. We suspect this product will be appealing to consumers… But, is it safe?
For starters, though the product is being promoted as “inhaled,” it’s not actually inhaled at all. Particles coat the back of the throat and are then swallowed. Each inhaler contains a total of 100mg of caffeine, roughly the amount in one small cup of coffee. That amount of caffeine is distributed over five or six puffs.
Caffeine delivered in this way is not regulated by the FDA, which leaves potential for adulteration of the substances that will be contained in the product. Additionally, one could not be certain that the dose reported on the label given with each puff is correct. And, since “inhaling” caffeine is so easy, one could quickly ingest doses that could have toxic side effects. It takes a lot longer to drink five cups of coffee than it does to get the same dose from a few caffeine inhalers. And what happens if you do go through multiple caffeine inhalers in a row?