Coffee improves heart function.  Coffee beans are hailed as a good source of antioxidants.  Coffee has been ranked as now being good up to 5 to 6 cups daily.  But there is a time to watch out for an overdose of caffeine.  A new research study indicated that caffeine can improve your golf game.  A group of golfers with U.S. Golf Association, handicaps of 3-10, received 155 mg of caffeine at tee-off, and again after 9 holes another 155 mg of caffeine, about 1 cup each time or against the placebo.  The next day, the groups crossed over and played 18 holes again.

The caffeine group reduced their average score by 2 strokes and increased their drive distance versus those who took a placebo, a fake pill.  The caffeine users were also associated with increased energy and reduced fatigue.  No side effects were reported.  1 or 2 cups a day of coffee, which would be approximately 155 to 300 mg of caffeine daily, can be beneficial.  But someone can always take the good in small dosages and make it bad in increased dosages.  Recently, the FDA warned several U.S. companies who sell powdered caffeine supplements that their products are dangerous.  Caffeine, in excess, can cause breathing problems, dizziness, seizures and a rapid heartbeat.

The problem with powdered caffeine purchased, consumers may overdose easily without realizing the danger of excess caffeine.  Young kids are using caffeine to get a high.  One teaspoon of powdered caffeine is equivalent to 28 cups of coffee.  The FDA feels that it is too difficult for the average consumer to determine the consequences of excess caffeine or to measure accurately a safe amount of powdered caffeine from a bulk package.  One of the companies warned by the FDA has stopped selling their product.  At this time it isn’t clear whether all manufacturers of powdered caffeine will do the same or reformulate the packaging to make it easier to measure out accurate amounts.