Colwyn Bay man died after 200-coffee caffeine overdose

A personal trainer died after taking caffeine powder the equivalent of up to 200 cups of coffee, an inquest heard.

Father-of-two Tom Mansfield had miscalculated the amount of powder he was meant to use on kitchen scales.

An inquest in Ruthin heard the 29-year-old from Colwyn Bay fell ill straight after drinking his mixture on 5 January 2021.

Reaching a conclusion of misadventure, coroner John Gittins said the cause of death was caffeine toxicity.

Caffeine is used by some gym-goers, with some fitness websites recommending it for improving sports performance in certain doses.

However, experts have warned that when taking powders there is a risk of consuming over the recommended amount.

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On Tuesday an inquest heard Mr Mansfield began clutching his chest and complaining his heart was beating fast after consuming the product.

Minutes later, after going to lie down, he began foaming at the mouth. His wife Suzannah alerted neighbours and family, and called an ambulance

Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 45 minutes but was later pronounced dead at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire.

The lowest weight measured by Mr Mansfield's scale was more than six times the maximum recommended dose

The hearing was told the scales Mr Mansfield had used to measure the powder had a weighing range from two to 5,000 grams, whereas he was attempting to weigh a recommended dose of 60-300mg.

It was this miscalculation which led to a massive overdose.

The hearing was told he had bought a 100g bag of the powder from Blackburn Distributions.

In a statement read to the hearing, its director Ben Blackburn said the powder should be weighed to two decimal places in milligrams and the suggested dosage was 60-300mg of powder up to twice a day.

He said scales for the purpose of weighing such small amounts can be purchased.

The company did not, at the time of Mr Mansfield's death, include scoops in the packaging because they are not always accurate, but Mr Blackburn said this had now changed.

It has also enhanced the usage instructions and increased the prominence of potential side effects.

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Mansfield had caffeine levels of 392mg per litre of blood.

Caffeine levels would typically be two to four milligrams per litre if someone had drunk a cup of filter coffee.

Mr Gittins said it appeared Mr Mansfield had been aiming for the "mid-range of the recommended dose", but "he got his maths wrong" and there were "unintended consequences" which had a fatal effect.

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