CPP nutrition students present dangers of increased caffeine intake
By Kayla Landers, March 10, 2026
“The primary data collected said that 67% of students pick high-energy drinks to fuel them for the day,” said nutrition and dietetics student Brenda N. Bio. “And 38% of them also believe that it’ll be negative over time if they continue to consume energy drinks.”
Bio said her group originally started with a few topics. But, after looking into educational, developmental and resource needs, they found CPP students rely heavily on highly-caffeinated drinks.
These findings are a result of nutrition students having to prepare presentations for the National Nutrition Month Spring Resource Fair.
Cal Poly Pomona hosted the National Nutrition Month Spring Resource Fair, which allows nutrition students to work together to educate their fellow Broncos about a dietary topic of their choosing based on what they believe are the most prevalent issues students face.
The event took place on March 3rd and was hosted by the food science and nutrition department.
“This is the first time, if they haven’t had other opportunities through volunteering with professors individually, to provide nutrition education, which they’ll be doing as future registered dietitians or health care professionals,” said nutrition and food science lecturer Sangeeta Shrivastava.
Kellene Isom, an assistant professor in the nutrition and food science department, explained there are some health benefits to caffeine. It’s just a matter of where consumers are getting it from.
For example, getting caffeine from energy drinks is harmful, but getting it from tea isn’t as dangerous. It’s all about moderation and product choices, according to Isom.
“I did a survey and posted it around, seeing we got responses from people who are consuming large amounts of energy drinks daily, or even two to three more,” said food and science technology student Kenneth Medina. “We were looking at it, and we’ve seen caffeine over a thousand milligrams, which could be potent.”
For reference, in a flyer designed by Bio, Lee, Medina, Nguyen and Wong for their project titled “Raise the Focus, Not the Heart Rate,” the safe amount of caffeine an adult can consume in a day is 400mg. If that limit is exceeded, people can begin to experience negative side effects such as increased heart rate, jitters, anxiety, headaches, insomnia, irritability and an upset stomach.
Long-term impacts of caffeine intake can be major or minor, according to Isom.
A minor issue someone may experience when consistently having caffeine every day is a withdrawal headache, which Isom described as not fun because it doesn’t always respond to medicines such as Ibuprofen and Tylenol.
But, Isom noted the associated cardiovascular issues are more concerning.
“On the inpatient side, we definitely have had a greater influx of young people who are late 20s, mid-30-year-olds, very active adults coming in with heart attacks, atrial fibrillation and other health conditions when drinking too much caffeine,” Isom said.
If individuals are looking for safer caffeinated drinks while staying within the healthy 400mg recommendation, there are options.
Isom said cold brews are the safest bet because they have a lot of caffeine, totaling around 225mg for one can. Tea is also a good option, whether you add milk, because it doesn’t have any added sugar. The main thing behind a healthy caffeinated drink is to find one without excessive amounts of sugar.
Shrivastava noted it’s important to let people have caffeine within the healthy limit because the associated stimulation effect can be valuable, especially as a morning pick-me-up.
The group behind the project “Raise the Focus, Not the Heart Rate,” also provided a list of non-caffeinated food items that can help students focus on their tasks and give a similar energy boost.
Apple slices and peanut butter, hummus and veggies, and other food choices are listed on their flyer as well if someone is curious about more healthy energy-boosting snack options.
The National Nutrition Month Resource Fair occurs every spring semester at the University Quad, and students can find more information about the event and times on the myBar website.
If students have any questions, the Cal Poly Pomona Student Health Services is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Feature image courtesy of the ‘Raise the focus, not the Heart Rate’ group
