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How Much Caffeine is in Mountain Dew Zero Sugar? 2024 Breakdown

Mountain Dew Zero Sugar

Caffeine (serving: 12 fl oz)
68 mg
Caffeine (mg / fl oz)
5.7
Calories
0
Caffeine strength
Medium

We live in a world that is becoming ever more health conscious, and more people than ever are putting their health first and limiting their intake of sugary beverages. It’s well known that soft drinks can negatively affect your health if you overindulge, but that’s where diet sodas like Mountain Dew Zero Sugar come in.

Since it contains no sugar, it contains no calories. That means it’s healthy, right? Well, sugar isn’t the only thing you have to watch out for in a soft drink. Consuming caffeine in moderation is safe, but too much can affect your mind and body. So how much caffeine is in Mountain Dew Zero Sugar? A 12-ounce contains 68 grams of caffeine. You probably have no frame of reference for that, so keep reading; down below, we’ll compare Mountain Dew Zero Sugar to other beverages.

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Mountain Dew Zero Sugar vs. Other Beverages

Mountain Dew Zero Sugar: 68 mg of caffeine
Mountain Dew: 54 mg of caffeine
Diet Mountain Dew: 54 mg of caffeine
Mountain Dew Kickstart: 90 mg of caffeine
Pepsi: 38 mg of caffeine
Coca-Cola: 34 mg of caffeine
Brewed Coffee: 95 mg of caffeine

As you can see, Mountain Dew Zero Sugar has more caffeine than your average soft drink but far less caffeine than coffee, and, depending on how you like your coffee, it also has less sugar. So, if you’re watching your caffeine intake, Mountain Dew Zero Sugar is probably not a suitable option.

perosn drinking mountain dew
Image Credit: Shane, Unsplash

Why is Caffeine Bad for You?

Consuming too much caffeine can cause troubling side effects, including insomnia, anxiety, and kidney failure in extreme cases. On top of that, some people are considered caffeine sensitive. Caffeine-sensitive people can experience these side effects from a minuscule amount of caffeine.

Anxiety

Caffeine is lauded for its amazing ability to keep people awake and alert; this, however, can also be a problem. When too much caffeine is consumed, it goes from keeping you awake and alert to making you paranoid and anxious. Caffeine stops the production of adenosine, the drug that makes us tired. It also increases the production of adrenaline that activates our fight-or-flight reaction.

When you consume too much caffeine, you become overloaded with adrenaline and become anxious, jumpy, and paranoid.

Insomnia

As mentioned, caffeine blocks our brain from producing the drug that causes us to become tired. If you’re overloaded with adrenaline and your adenosine production is blocked, it will be impossible to get to sleep quickly. But that’s not the only way caffeine affects your sleep; an over-reliance on caffeine causes you to go to sleep later and wake up earlier.

young caucasian man awake at night not able to sleep
Image Credit: SB Arts Media, Shutterstock

Rhabdomyolysis

An overabundance of caffeine can also lead to rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis causes skeletal muscles to break down and enter the bloodstream. This can eventually lead to kidney failure and death.

Caffeine Overdose

A caffeine overdose, like any other overdose, will result in death if you are not treated by professionals. The effects of a caffeine overdose include involuntary muscle movements, vomiting, hallucinations, confusion, chest pains, and irregular heartbeat. If you suffer from any of these symptoms and believe you’re having a caffeine overdose, you should call 911 immediately.

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Closing Thoughts

Like most soft drinks without sugar, Mountain Dew Zero Sugar contains more caffeine than your average soda. Caffeine can cause very serious problems and should always be consumed in moderation, but Mountain Dew Zero Sugar is well below the maximum amount of caffeine you should consume in a day.

It would take just under six cans a day to reach the maximum amount of caffeine you can safely consume. So, you most likely don’t need to worry about caffeine side effects from Mountain Dew Zero Sugar.

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Ollie Jones

Oliver (Ollie) Jones is a zoologist and freelance writer living in South Australia. Originally from the US, he thought he loved coffee before his big move down under, but his discovery of the flat white and the cafe on every corner has taken his coffee passion to a whole new level. He's so excited to share his knowledge and experience with readers worldwide (and keep testing coffee drinks while he's at it).

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