Australian man never woke up after taking a spoonful of caffeine powder

Last New Year's Day, Australian man Lachlan Foote had a pretty good night out with friends. When he got home, he said goodnight to his mom and made himself a protein shake.

Shortly after consuming the protein shake, Ford collapsed in the bathroom of his home and never woke up again. The next day was his 22nd birthday.

Unexpectedly, vicious rumors spread that Ford died of a drug overdose.

One teaspoon of caffeine powder is equal to 35 cans of Red Bull. Source: Fox News

The Ford family did not believe such rumors. After waiting for a long time, they finally received the autopsy report last week.

The report concluded that Ford, 21, died of caffeine poisoning after unknowingly consuming a dangerous dose of caffeine in a protein shake. The pathologist also noted that Ford's blood alcohol content was less than 0.05, which could be the amount of several bottles of beer.

It is believed that Ford added a teaspoon of caffeine powder to his protein shake that day. It was this teaspoon of powder - equivalent to drinking 50 cups of coffee in one go - that killed him.

Caffeine powder is popular in fitness circles and is often sold as a dietary supplement, with people typically adding it to protein shakes and health drinks.

It is not clear where Ford bought the caffeine powder from. His family and police checked his computer and bank statements but found nothing. His father Nigel Foote said: "We think Lachlan got the caffeine powder from a friend or colleague. In fact, he probably never paid attention to the warning label on the package. He put the caffeine powder in our kitchen and any of us might have mistaken it for flour or sugar."

Before the accident, Ford posted a social media post saying that his milkshake tasted bitter.

"It's a disgrace that this product is not banned in Australia," Ford's father said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sale of high-strength pure caffeine powder in 2018 after a teenager died in Ohio in 2014.

By searching online sales platforms, it was found that the sale of pure caffeine powder is very common in Australia.

A fact sheet published by Cornell University in the United States shows that a typical package of pure caffeine powder is 400 grams and costs only $10, and the caffeine content contained in it is equivalent to 1,000 cans of Red Bull. A teaspoon of pure caffeine powder contains 5,000 mg of caffeine powder. Putting two teaspoons of caffeine powder in a milkshake or other beverage is like drinking 70 cans of Red Bull at once.

High caffeine intake can increase the risk of heart arrhythmia, palpitations, seizures, stroke, and even death.

Amazon has now stopped selling all caffeine powders.

(Author: Weng Hanjun Editor: Li Zheng)