Caffeine occupies an unusual place in modern life. For millions of Americans, the substance is less a drug than a daily ritual, which makes it easy to shrug off the risks that come with its wide-ranging physiological effects: caffeine can increase heart rate, raise blood pressure, fuel anxiety, and disrupt sleep, to name a few.
Every once in a while, though, some tragedy casts this most familiar of pick-me-ups in an alarmingly negative light. In April 2026, the family of 17-year-old Texas cheerleader Larissa Rodriguez filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that Alani Nu, a popular energy drink, contributed to her sudden death.
The family’s attorney has said that a medical examiner attributed her death to cardiomyopathy caused by “stress and large amounts of caffeine.” A 12-ounce can of Alani Nu contains about 200 milligrams — the equivalent of two average cups of coffee, and roughly twice the amount recommended for adolescents. Rodriguez reportedly drank at least one a day.
The case will ultimately turn on specific facts: how much caffeine Rodriguez consumed that day, how quickly she consumed it, and how her body responded. But the lawsuit raises broader questions about how much caffeine a person can safely consume, and how that answer changes with age.
Caffeine Doesn’t Impact Everyone the Same
The most commonly cited numbers are comfortingly precise: the FDA advises healthy adults to consume no more than 400 milligrams per day, while children and adolescents under 18 are urged to stay below 100 milligrams because of their smaller bodies, according to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Yet those thresholds offer only rough estimates, according to Jennifer Temple, an exercise and nutrition scientist who has studied the effects of caffeine use.
“It's not that there's something magic that happens the day you turn 18 where all of a sudden you can [quadruple] your intake of caffeine safely,” Temple told Discover. “We have to think about these guidelines in a practical way.”
For her own research, she has given children and adolescents up to 200 milligrams of caffeine without observing any concerning results — just jitters and a brief rise in blood pressure.
That said, caffeine sensitivity may vary significantly between people of the same age, young or old. Genetics, circadian rhythms, and even the time of day can all influence how the body processes caffeine, according to a study in Frontiers in Psychiatry. In practice, that means the same 200-milligram dose might be barely noticeable for one person and overpowering for another — especially when consumed quickly, without sufficient sleep, or alongside other stimulants.
Read More: How Energy Drinks’ Hidden Caffeine Could Contribute to Long-Term Health Risks
What Can Cause a Caffeine Overdose?
The source of caffeine can make a big difference. In energy drinks, it often comes mixed with a proprietary blend of stimulants and additives whose interactions are not well understood. In some cases, Temple said, other ingredients may amplify caffeine’s effects on the body.
A serious overdose usually requires rapid consumption of huge amounts of caffeine, often in the form of caffeine powder or energy shots. A 200-milligram energy drink, by contrast, is normally within the range of what most people can tolerate.
“Your body can clear that out unless you have some sort of disorder,” Temple said. For example, a condition that affects caffeine metabolism or heart function.
Those with such conditions may be particularly vulnerable without even knowing it.
“A lot of people have underlying cardiac conditions, especially kids and teenagers, that haven’t been diagnosed,” Temple told Discover. “Sometimes […] very high levels of caffeine can bring these issues to the forefront.”
It’s possible this was the case with Larissa Rodriguez, though her family has said she did not have a preexisting condition.
The Impacts of Caffeine on Young Adults
The lawsuit alleges that Rodriguez’s caffeine consumption caused cardiomyopathy, a disease that makes it harder for the heart muscle to pump blood and can lead to heart enlargement.
From a legal perspective, Temple doubts that Celsius Inc. (the company that owns Alani Nu) will be found culpable, regardless of what role the energy drink may have played in Rodriguez’s death. Its products are clearly labeled with the amount of caffeine they contain.
“There's no mystery about it,” Temple said. “People are drinking them because of the caffeine.”
In a statement to NBC News, Celsius Inc. stated that “Alani Nu energy drinks disclose 200mg of caffeine on the can, and the label states the product is not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant women, or women who are nursing. Our products comply with applicable federal labeling requirements, and our policy is not to market or sample to anyone under 18, consistent with those label warnings.”
For Temple, however, the most immediate public health concern isn’t rare catastrophic outcomes in uniquely vulnerable populations — it’s the cumulative effect of standard caffeine use, especially on sleep. Even among otherwise healthy young people, caffeine can reduce sleep quality, with downstream effects on physical and mental health and academic performance.
For these reasons, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises children and adolescents to stay away from caffeinated drinks altogether.
“That really is the conversation that I think we should be having,” Temple said. “We should be discussing the everyday impacts of caffeine on health that are a little bit more subtle because they're not life-threatening.”
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
Read More: Why Caffeine Affects People Differently
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from a study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry: The Safety of Ingested Caffeine: A Comprehensive Review
- This article references information from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center: Caffeine and Kids
- This article references information from the American Academy of Pediatrics: Children should avoid drinks with sugar, caffeine
