Caffeine Culture: How Much Coffee and Celsius Do We Consume?

by KAYLIE WU

With Starbucks, Peet’s and Coffeebar only a short walk away from campus, it’s no surprise that Menlo students can often be found on campus with a cup of coffee in hand. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 83.2% of all teenagers consume caffeine on a regular basis. However, caffeine’s presence at Menlo is not limited to only coffee or espresso-based drinks. Energy drinks, such as Monster and Celsius, similarly possess a strong presence amongst the student body, despite their various health risks. Consequently, Menlo’s caffeine culture varies a lot from student to student — while some drink coffee solely for its taste, others opt for energy drinks to stay awake during late nights full of schoolwork.

Freshman Bella Jensen, sophomore Rena Kim and senior Evelyn Zhou drink caffeinated beverages primarily for their flavor. Kim and Zhou both drink caffeine a couple of times per week. While Kim enjoys iced vanilla lattes, Zhou prefers boba and matcha lattes. Zhou typically consumes caffeine during the day but energy boost from consuming caffeine. Still, Sonsini chooses to drink coffee primarily for the taste. “The energy is just a plus,” Sonsini said. increased heart rates and other various health problems in adolescents. In comparison, an eight-ounce cup of coffee contains an average of 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine, Celsius contains much more, placing the drink into a much riskier category. “I wanted to shift to running on 80-100 milligrams of caffeine [per day],” Fish said. “Also, [Celsius contains] unsafe levels of some elements, vitamins and chemicals.” once attempted to use it to stay awake late at night. “I’ve only [consumed caffeine for energy purposes] once because I needed to do homework, and I only got four hours of sleep afterwards,” Zhou said. As a result, Zhou would rather force herself to stay awake naturally and not consume caffeine late at night.

Unlike Zhou, Jensen has not noticed a significant connection between her caffeine intake and ability to fall asleep. “I don’t really think it gives me that much more energy,” Jensen said.

Freshman Elsa Sonsini disagrees with Jensen and experiences a noticeable

Sophomore Kirin Debnath also drinks caffeine regularly but worries about long-term health effects. “I’m worried about my growth,” Debnath said. He drinks coffee and tea on weekends for the flavor, but, on weekdays, it’s strictly for energy. Although he tries to avoid drinking caffeine at night, he occasionally does so to stay awake past 1 a.m. to finish a project or study for an exam.

Senior Nikhil Berry also relies on caffeine — in the form of tea and Celsius drinks — purely for energy. In addition to these caffeinated drinks, Berry also takes Nuun Energy tablets every so often, for when he really needs to zone in on schoolwork. Ultimately, though, Berry generally sticks to tea. “I can’t drink it at night,” he said. “I won’t be able to sleep.”

Senior Sydney Fish similarly used to drink Celsius. However, she has switched to drinking coffee for health purposes. “I stopped drinking Celsius because of the dangers of it,” Fish said. “Many people publicized online that they had health conditions because of it.” Both Fish and senior Reese Weiden noted that one Celsius contains a large amount of caffeine compared to other drinks: about 200 milligrams per can. “The maximum recommended caffeine dose if you’re over 18 is 400 milligrams. But if you’re 17, then it’s 100,” Weiden said. “So that’s concerning.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, even doses between 100-400 milligrams of caffeine can cause anxiety symptoms,

Upper School dance teacher and Menlo alumna Angela Curotto-Pierson agrees with Fish and Weiden’s concerning observations around Celsius drinks. In addition, Curotto-Pierson has noticed an unhealthy presence of energy drinks in the dance room. “I see a lot of energy drinks in this room, specifically dancers with Celsius,” Curotto-Pierson said. “And when I ask if they’ve eaten anything, the answer is usually no. Of course I’m not a doctor, I’m not licensed in any way, but something tells me that’s maybe not the healthiest form.” Curotto-Pierson also believes students at Menlo have begun consuming caffeine at a much earlier age compared to when she was a student at Menlo herself. Curotto-Pierson first began drinking coffee as a junior in high school, which contrasts the underclassmen at Menlo who she sees with caffeinated beverages on a daily basis.

While Curotto-Pierson consumes caffeine daily, she prefers coffee to energy drinks. Additionally, Curotto-Pierson drinks coffee only early in the day. “If I have coffee in the afternoon, it wrecks my stomach, and I get lightheaded,” she said. “Also, if I had to go a day without caffeine, I [could]. So I don’t feel reliant on it.”

Even though Fish now drinks coffee instead of Celsius, her caffeine intake is still just as much for energy as it is flavor. “I drink it mainly for a caffeine boost or before a physical activity I need energy for,” she said. Similar to Fish, junior Allie Bienaime drinks coffee every morning, mainly for the energy boost.

According to Bienaime, she enjoys local coffee shops not only for the drinks and pastries, but also for the study environment. One of Bienaime’s favorite places to do homework is Coffeebar. “I started going to Coffeebar almost every morning this year, which makes it easy to grab coffee and go,” she said. “Usually I focus a lot better there than at school.”