Too Much Caffeine Can Be Dangerous to Your Health, Check Out Foods with Hidden Amounts of Drug

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that it will more closely examine the health effects of caffeine, which can be found in a variety of sources and add up over the course of a day.

The agency "is taking a fresh look at the potential impact that the totality of new and easy sources of caffeine may have on the health of children and adolescents," Mike Taylor, the FDA's deputy, said in a statement..

The statement came on the heels of Wrigley's launch of a new caffeinated gum. The product, called Alert Energy Caffeine Gum, is marketed to adults and contains 40 milligrams of caffeine, the company says.

Let's take a look at some of the caffeinated items they'll be investigating, courtesy of Live Science.

-Dietary Supplements: It seems that over half of the United States uses these guys to help out their health. However, many contain caffeine, and according to reports, the exact amount listed on the product labels may not be completely accurate. 

In these cases, consumers have no way of knowing exactly how much caffeine they are ingesting. A study published earlier this year analyzed 20 dietary supplements - including multivitamins and performance-enhancing supplements - and found that six of the supplements' labels failed to list the amount of caffeine contained in the product. All six supplements contained high doses of caffeine - between 210 mg and 310 mg per serving. In comparison, one cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine.

People should assume that any dietary supplement that lists caffeine on its label contains a significant dose, according to study researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

-Medications: Many medications contain caffeine. For instance, just two tablets of Excedrin Extra Strength pain medication contain around 130 mg of caffeine, which is a little more than what's commonly found in a cup of coffee or four 12-ounce cans of Coca-Cola. 

-Chocolate: it's not surprise that America's favorite sweet can always add to your daily caffeine intake. In fact, a whole cup of semisweet chocolate chips has the equivalent to one cup of coffee, or 104 mg, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

And if you think you're in the clear with decaf coffee, sadly, that's not caffeine free either. 

Make sure to check out how much caffeine your consuming per day. Labels alone may not be able to provide the most accurate info.