Deadly blood sugar levels - maximum indicators.

The glucose level is a vital indicator. When critical blood sugar levels are exceeded, the risk of death increases several times.

Diabetes causes irreversible changes in the body. And the reason for such changes is high or low level Sahara. Any significant deviation from normal(3.3–5.5 millimoles per liter) are dangerous to the health and life of the patient. Consider which glucose indicators are critical for a person and how to help him.

What does "critical level" of glucose mean?

In principle, for a healthy body, any increase in glucose above 7.8 mmol can be considered critical, since irreversible processes of destruction of the body are triggered above this line. The same can be said when this level falls below 2.8 mmol.

However, in diabetes, these figures jump over a very wide range, sometimes reaching prohibitive 55 mmol and even more. In order to somehow imagine what this figure means, we note that in this state, one liter of blood contains 10 grams of sugar - two teaspoons.

The danger to the body is the excess of glucose to 13–17 mmol per liter. In this condition, acetone is present in the urine. All patients can independently determine the presence of ketone in the urine using test strips.

If blood sugar is over 10 mmol, then it also appears in the urine, and this indicator is also dangerous. In both cases, insulin should be administered. If this is not done, then there is a high risk of hyperglycemic coma.

A critical level of glucose also occurs with a sudden decrease in it. Not all people tolerate low blood sugar equally: some have clear symptoms of hypoglycemia at 3.2 mmol, while others feel good at a level of 2.5 mmol or even less.

Sometimes in diabetes, a sharp relative decrease in glucose (to normal limits) also causes signs of hypoglycemia. In all these cases, the patient should be given some easily digestible carbohydrates. If this is not done, the glucose level will continue to fall, which will cause loss of consciousness, convulsions and, finally, death.

What level of sugar is considered deadly


In patients with diabetes, the sugar level is 15-17 millimoles per liter. This contributes to the development of hyperglycemic coma. However, not everyone develops hyperglycemia with the same glucose levels. In some people, levels even up to 17 millimoles per liter do not cause overt symptoms. That is why there are no certain indicators that are fatal for a person.

There are some differences in the clinical course of hyperglycemic coma in patients depending on the type of diabetes. So, with insulin-dependent diabetes, dehydration quickly develops, as well as ketoacidosis. On the contrary, in non-insulin-dependent diabetes, only dehydration progresses in patients. However, it can be very pronounced, so that it can be difficult to get the patient out of this dangerous state.

In severe diabetes, a person develops a ketoacidotic coma. Most often, this condition occurs in patients with type 1 diabetes, complicated by infectious disease. Often the development of ketoacidotic coma with an underestimated dose of insulin. The main symptoms of this condition are as follows:

  • excretion of sugar in the urine, because of which it becomes very much;
  • rapid development of dehydration;
  • the accumulation of ketone bodies in the blood due to the fact that the cells of the body begin to consume fats for energy purposes;
  • weakness, drowsiness;
  • dry mouth;
  • dry skin;
  • the appearance of acetone odor from the oral cavity;
  • deep and noisy breathing (as a result of compensation for increased carbon dioxide in the blood).

With a further increase in blood sugar, a hyperosmolar coma develops. This state is very different high rates glucose (its level can rise to 55 mmol). Such figures are limiting for the body. The state of hyperosmolarity is not accompanied by ketoacidosis. Despite this, such a coma requires emergency assistance. It develops gradually. The main signs of the development of hyperosmolar coma:

  • copious excretion of urine;
  • the patient drinks a lot of liquid, but, despite this, cannot quench his thirst;
  • after water, the body loses a large amount of minerals;
  • rapidly increasing dehydration, weakness, drowsiness;
  • facial features become sharp;
  • increasing dryness of the skin, oral cavity;
  • shortness of breath develops.

Only immediate hospitalization can prevent the death of a person. No home methods will help to normalize the condition.

Critical sugar level in hypoglycemia


With a rapid decrease in glucose, hypoglycemia develops. This condition can develop spontaneously and is always life-threatening. Since the brain is the largest consumer of glucose, it suffers in the first place with hypoglycemia. People suffering from hypoglycemia require emergency medical attention.

With mild hypoglycemia, the following symptoms occur:

  • trembling and chills;
  • loss of sensation on the tip of the tongue;
  • limb weakness;
  • dizziness;
  • pallor, sweating;
  • the person is confused, cannot navigate in time and space.

If you immediately eat something sweet, this condition disappears. However, this must be done as early as possible, otherwise, with the progression of hypoglycemia, a person may lose consciousness, and it will be much more difficult to save him.

In severe hypoglycemia, the patient loses consciousness. In this case, an injection of glucagon can save him. The patient or his relatives need to constantly measure blood sugar in order to achieve their normalization.

What to do with the onset of hyperglycemic coma


If the patient develops nausea, vomiting, and signs of general malaise, it is likely that he has not only an upset stomach, but a sign of an incipient hyperglycemic coma. The principle of helping a person in this condition is frequent subcutaneous administration of short-acting insulin.

There is toxic substances like mercury - just 200 milligrams can kill you. AsapSCIENCE YouTube channel authors calculated lethal doses and for everyday products such as coffee, sugar, chocolate and fruit.

For example, dangerous for an adult can be 70 cups of coffee, drunk in a row. The lethal dose of caffeine is 150-200 mg per kilogram of body weight. Such an amount can cause not cheerfulness, but an increased heartbeat or even a heart attack.

Sugar is already associated with many diseases. But a single consumption of 29.7 grams per kilogram of body weight is considered fatal. For a person weighing 75 kilograms, the lethal dose is 10.5 cups, or 2.2 kilograms of sugar at a time.

If we talk about alcohol, the critical bar is 4-12 grams of ethanol per kilogram of weight. It means that 13 consecutive shots strong drink can also prove fatal. Ethanol is a depressant that depresses the central nervous system. It suppresses areas of the brain that are responsible for basic life functions such as breathing and heart rate.

Even just a large amount of liquid can be harmful to the body. If you drink around 6 liters of water, water intoxication will occur - a violation water-salt metabolism in the body. This will cause the brain cells to swell, which can cause headaches, epileptic seizures, to whom and even death in extreme cases.

But if you stop drinking water or eat too much salt, your brain cells will shrink. This will lead to a condition known as hypernatremia. 48 teaspoons seasoning at a time - enough to cause such a reaction, which also leads to seizures, coma and even death. Also deadly 129 teaspoons pepper.

You may have heard that dogs should not be given chocolate. A substance dangerous to them - theobromine - can kill us. True, our body processes theobromine more efficiently. The lethal dose for humans is 1000 mg per kilogram of body weight. This is equivalent to 85 chocolate bars, eaten at a time.

Toothpaste is also not worth overeating. Fluorides are safe in small amounts and can fill cavities. But if you swallow 24 tubes of toothpaste volume of 170 milliliters, this can be fatal.

Everyone always says to eat more fruit. However, to get an overdose of vitamin C, it is enough to eat 11 thousand oranges at a time.

What is beneficial in small doses can be deadly in large doses, such as potassium. Potassium ions are essential for nerve signals and muscle contractions. However, potassium chloride is also used by lethal injection. Need to eat about 480 bananas to reach the amount of injection. True, it is not a fact that the human stomach can withstand it.

Consider which glucose indicators are critical for a person and how to help him.

What does "critical level" of glucose mean?

In principle, for a healthy body, any increase in glucose above 7.8 mmol can be considered critical, since irreversible processes of destruction of the body are triggered above this line. The same can be said when this level falls below 2.8 mmol.

However, in diabetes, these figures jump over a very wide range, sometimes reaching prohibitive 55 mmol and even more. In order to somehow imagine what this figure means, we note that in this state, one liter of blood contains 10 grams of sugar - two teaspoons.

The danger to the body is the excess of glucose to 13–17 mmol per liter. In this condition, acetone is present in the urine. All patients can independently determine the presence of ketone in the urine using test strips.

If blood sugar is over 10 mmol, then it also appears in the urine, and this indicator is also dangerous. In both cases, insulin should be administered. If this is not done, then there is a high risk of hyperglycemic coma.

A critical level of glucose also occurs with a sudden decrease in it. Not all people tolerate low blood sugar equally: some have clear symptoms of hypoglycemia at 3.2 mmol, while others feel good at a level of 2.5 mmol or even less.

Sometimes in diabetes, a sharp relative decrease in glucose (to normal limits) also causes signs of hypoglycemia. In all these cases, the patient should be given some easily digestible carbohydrates. If this is not done, the glucose level will continue to fall, which will cause loss of consciousness, convulsions and, finally, death.

What level of sugar is considered deadly

In patients with diabetes, the sugar level is 15-17 millimoles per liter. This contributes to the development of hyperglycemic coma. However, not everyone develops hyperglycemia with the same glucose levels. In some people, levels even up to 17 millimoles per liter do not cause overt symptoms. That is why there are no certain indicators that are fatal for a person.

There are some differences in the clinical course of hyperglycemic coma in patients depending on the type of diabetes. So, with insulin-dependent diabetes, dehydration quickly develops, as well as ketoacidosis. On the contrary, in non-insulin-dependent diabetes, only dehydration progresses in patients. However, it can be very pronounced, so that it can be difficult to get the patient out of this dangerous state.

Pharmacies in once more want to cash in on diabetics. There is an intelligent modern European drug, but they keep quiet about it. This is.

In severe diabetes, a person develops a ketoacidotic coma. Most often, this condition occurs in patients with type 1 diabetes, complicated by an infectious disease. Often the development of ketoacidotic coma with an underestimated dose of insulin. The main symptoms of this condition are as follows:

  • excretion of sugar in the urine, because of which it becomes very much;
  • rapid development of dehydration;
  • the accumulation of ketone bodies in the blood due to the fact that the cells of the body begin to consume fats for energy purposes;
  • weakness, drowsiness;
  • dry mouth;
  • dry skin;
  • the appearance of acetone odor from the oral cavity;
  • deep and noisy breathing (as a result of compensation for increased carbon dioxide in the blood).

With a further increase in blood sugar, a hyperosmolar coma develops. This condition is characterized by extremely high glucose levels (its level can rise to 55 mmol). Such figures are limiting for the body. The state of hyperosmolarity is not accompanied by ketoacidosis. Despite this, such a coma requires emergency care. It develops gradually. The main signs of the development of hyperosmolar coma:

  • copious excretion of urine;
  • the patient drinks a lot of liquid, but, despite this, cannot quench his thirst;
  • after water, the body loses a large amount of minerals;
  • rapidly increasing dehydration, weakness, drowsiness;
  • facial features become sharp;
  • increasing dryness of the skin, oral cavity;
  • shortness of breath develops.

Only immediate hospitalization can prevent the death of a person. No home methods will help to normalize the condition.

Critical sugar level in hypoglycemia

With a rapid decrease in glucose, hypoglycemia develops. This condition can develop spontaneously and is always life-threatening. Since the brain is the largest consumer of glucose, it suffers in the first place with hypoglycemia. People suffering from hypoglycemia require emergency medical attention.

With mild hypoglycemia, the following symptoms occur:

  • trembling and chills;
  • loss of sensation on the tip of the tongue;
  • limb weakness;
  • dizziness;
  • pallor, sweating;
  • the person is confused, cannot navigate in time and space.

If you immediately eat something sweet, this condition disappears. However, this must be done as early as possible, otherwise, with the progression of hypoglycemia, a person may lose consciousness, and it will be much more difficult to save him.

In severe hypoglycemia, the patient loses consciousness. In this case, an injection of glucagon can save him. The patient or his relatives need to constantly measure blood sugar in order to achieve their normalization.

What to do with the onset of hyperglycemic coma

If the patient develops nausea, vomiting, and signs of general malaise, it is likely that he has not only an upset stomach, but a sign of an incipient hyperglycemic coma. The principle of helping a person in this condition is frequent subcutaneous administration of short-acting insulin.

If two attempts at self-correction of glucose were unsuccessful, an urgent need to call a doctor.

The patient must learn to correctly calculate the corrective dose of insulin in case of hyperglycemia, depending on the presence of acetone in the blood. The simplest method for calculating the corrective dose is to inject an additional 1 unit of insulin if the glucose level is elevated by 1.5 to 2.5 millimoles. When acetone appears, the amount of insulin should be doubled.

If it was possible to achieve a decrease in glucose, it is necessary to take fast-digesting carbohydrates. This must be done in order to prevent the development of the so-called hungry ketosis. When the urge to vomit, sweet tea is recommended.

Diabetes is often referred to as the "silent killer". After all, approximately 25% of patients are unaware of the development of a serious pathology. But diabetes is no longer a sentence! Chief diabetologist Alexander Korotkevich told how to treat diabetes once and for all. Read more.

Prevention of hypo- and hyperglycemia

A diabetic should always know how to help himself in case of an unexpected drop in blood sugar.

  1. You should always have a glucose preparation with you.
  2. When stable, there are no fast digestible carbohydrates.
  3. It is imperative to lead a healthy lifestyle, give up alcohol and cigarettes, and engage in physical education.
  4. It is necessary to ensure that the type and amount of insulin administered is fully consistent with blood glucose levels.
  5. To always know these indicators, it is essential to have an accurate glucometer at home that allows you to quickly determine the level of glucose. The presence of a glucometer will help to catch the moment of incipient hyperglycemia and quickly respond to this process.
  6. You need to learn how to independently calculate the dosage of insulin.

Remember that each person is quite capable of controlling diabetes and preventing glucose levels from deviating to critical levels.

How to quickly lower blood sugar levels in diabetics?

The statistics of the incidence of diabetes every year is getting sadder! The Russian Diabetes Association states that every tenth inhabitant of our country has diabetes. But the cruel truth is that it is not the disease itself that is terrible, but its complications and the lifestyle to which it leads.

Critical blood sugar levels: causes and symptoms

Critical blood sugar refers to a serious disorder that is more common among people suffering from pathologies of carbohydrate metabolism, especially diabetes. The sugar concentration is not constant value. Its changes can be caused by both physiological and pathological conditions of the body. Any violation is considered dangerous, threatens human health and life.

Causes of high and low glucose levels

There are many reasons why the sugar level exceeds the norm. They are divided into groups:

Physiological include the following:

  • severe stress;
  • unhealthy diet, eating large amounts of flour foods;
  • PMS in women (premenstrual syndrome);
  • pregnancy;
  • recovery period after illness.

These factors often lead to a short-term increase in sugar, which refers to compensatory reactions of the body.

The list of pathological factors is much wider.

For diseases associated increased concentration sugar include:

  • first and second type diabetes;
  • gestational diabetes during pregnancy;
  • toxicosis of pregnancy;
  • respiratory failure in newborns;
  • congenital deficiency of insulin;
  • pancreatic tumors;
  • autoimmune processes associated with the production of antibodies to one's own insulin;
  • liver disease;
  • sepsis;
  • kidney disease, especially kidney failure;
  • stomach ulcer.

Glucose is a participant in many processes in the human body. Therefore, many diseases can lead to the fact that the limiting blood sugar level is diagnosed.

The following factors lead to a decrease in glucose:

  • an overdose of hypoglycemic drugs, mainly insulin;
  • stress;
  • increased loads;
  • emotional overstrain;
  • fasting and diets;
  • lack of production of adrenal and pituitary hormones;
  • pathology of the nervous system;
  • pathology of the stomach;
  • pancreatic tumor.

Blood glucose: how to understand the indicators

The level of sugar in a person’s blood, depending on the indicator, can refer to the following conditions:

Blood sugar levels:

Minimum critical level glucose - 2.8 mmol / l. It is dangerous due to the rapid increase in symptoms and the development of hypoglycemic coma. The maximum glucose level at which serious irreversible changes begin in the body is 7.8 mmol / l. This threshold can be considered critical.

Exceeding this indicator leads to damage to internal organs, blood vessels, eyes, heart muscle and tissues of the nervous system. Acetone appears in the urine and blood, which threatens health and life.

People's reaction to high sugar is different. Some easily tolerate even significant fluctuations, while others require emergency care already when they reach the upper limits of the norm. In patients suffering from serious diseases, especially diabetes, glucose levels can be many times higher than the established norms. It is important to be able to provide assistance in a timely manner in order to prevent the most dangerous complication - hypoglycemic coma. This condition can occur when a lethal sugar concentration of 15-17 mmol / l is reached.

Signs of an increase and decrease in sugar, emergency help

It is important to know what symptoms differ high sugar in the blood and hyperglycemic (ketoacidotic, hyperosmolar) coma in order to provide timely assistance to the victim.

Typical manifestations of hyperglycemia:

    • detection of high concentrations of sugar in the urine;
    • excessive thirst;
    • severe weakness;
    • dry skin;
    • polyuria - the formation of increased volumes of urine;
    • dyspnea;
    • trembling of the limbs;
    • dry mouth;
    • bouts of nausea and vomiting;
    • sharp facial features;
  • disturbances of consciousness and speech indicate a critical condition.

With further deterioration of the condition, additional manifestations are added. The increase in sugar levels occurs in most cases gradually. It is important to recognize hyperglycemia in a timely manner so that the patient is given timely medical assistance to prevent his death. Suspecting indicated symptoms, it is important to quickly call an ambulance and determine the level of sugar in the blood using a glucometer.

As a first aid measure for hyperglycemia, only the administration of insulin is effective. For the correct calculation of the dose, the rule should be taken into account: 2 mmol / l exceeding the norm, 1 unit of insulin is administered. If acetone appears in the urine, then the dose of insulin is increased by 2 times. For the detection of acetone in the urine, the use of test strips is indicated.

Dangerous complications of hyperglycemia:

  • hyperglycemic coma;
  • vascular damage;
  • metabolic disorders;
  • fatal dehydration;
  • death of the victim.

Characteristic manifestations of hypoglycemia:

  • heart palpitations;
  • chills;
  • tremor of the limbs;
  • fear;
  • increased sweating;
  • aggression;
  • a strong feeling of hunger;
  • weakness, almost complete lack of strength;
  • dizziness.

The difference between hypoglycemia - sudden onset pathological process, a rapid increase in symptoms and worsening of the condition. Suspecting the first signs of hypoglycemia, you should give the victim sweet food or liquid, call emergency care if there is no effect within a few minutes.

Dangerous complications of hypoglycemia:

  • hypoglycemic coma;
  • brain damage;
  • death of the patient.

Overdose of insulin-containing drugs

Insulin is a protein hormone that regulates the pancreas. This substance is responsible for the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism. Thanks to this compound, glucose is absorbed, which is a source of energy.

When the dose of the drug is exceeded, there is a threat dangerous consequences. This condition threatens with hypoglycemic coma (a sharp decrease in blood sugar), which can be fatal.

How can diabetics get an overdose of insulin?

In most cases, insulin preparations are used in diabetes mellitus. However medicine used in sports (bodybuilding).

If a person suffers from insulin-dependent diabetes, then pancreatic β-cells do not produce this substance. For this reason, the patient must regularly inject insulin from the outside. These drugs contain an artificial substitute for this hormone. With their help, maintenance therapy of type 1 diabetes is carried out. After the injection, the concentration of sugar in the blood decreases, and the patient's condition improves.

This takes into account the level of glucose in the body. In order for the drug not to cause harm, the patient must constantly monitor the disease.

Doctors identify several reasons that provoke an overdose of insulin:

  • The doctor injects an insulin preparation to a healthy person;
  • The endocrinologist or the patient has incorrectly selected the dose of insulin;
  • Sometimes patients exceed the dose of the drug when switching to the new kind drugs or using another type of syringe;
  • The patient injects insulin not under the skin, but into the muscle;
  • high physical activity with a lack of carbohydrates after an injection;
  • A diabetic makes a mistake when he takes fast and slow insulin at the same time;
  • The patient skips meals after the administration of an insulin-containing drug.

In addition, insulin sensitivity increases up to the 13th week of pregnancy, with chronic functional insufficiency kidneys, steatosis ( fatty degeneration liver).

Diabetics should not use alcoholic drinks, but if the patient nevertheless decided to take a chance, then he must observe the following rules:

  • Before drinking alcohol usual dose the drug is reduced;
  • Before and after drinking strong drinks, you need to eat food that is a source of slow carbohydrates;
  • Drinking low-alcohol drinks is recommended;
  • If the patient drank strong alcohol, then the next day you need to measure the level of glucose in the blood and adjust the dose according to these measurements.

If these rules are followed, a diabetic will be able to avoid an overdose of insulin.

Symptoms of insulin overdose in diabetics

Exceeding the dosage of insulin-containing drugs provokes a sharp decrease in the level of sugar in the body. Hypoglycemia is manifested when the amount of sugar in the volume is below 5 mmol / l of blood. Using different types drug, the rate of onset of symptoms is different. If the patient injects rapid insulin, then the symptoms appear faster than after the administration of the long-acting drug.

An overdose of insulin in the body is manifested by the following symptoms:

  • At an early stage, the patient's condition worsens a few minutes after the administration of the drug. Then there is a weakness of the body, heart palpitations, headache, sharp rise appetite
  • In the first phase of an overdose, doctors recommend eating or drinking something sweet. If the patient does not take action, then his condition continues to deteriorate. Then there is an excessive secretion of sweat, saliva, tremor upper limbs(trembling), weakness continues to increase. Visual disturbances appear, pupils dilate. At this stage, it is still possible to avoid hypoglycemia, for this the patient must consume foods that contain fast carbohydrates (confectionery or sugar);
  • In the third phase, the patient continues to increase in weakness, and he is no longer able to take any measures. The patient cannot move independently, there is excessive sweating, increased tachycardia, tremor, clouding of consciousness. In addition, mental disorders are manifested. During this period, it is necessary to inject glucose into a vein, otherwise there is a threat of hypoglycemic coma;
  • The extreme degree of hypoglycemia is manifested sharp decline glucose concentration (more than 5 mmol/l). The patient turns pale, the heart rate slows down, the pupil diameter does not change depending on the light intensity.

In the absence of an attempt to eliminate the symptoms of excess insulin, death occurs. A lethal outcome is possible with the oppression of all functions (respiration, blood circulation, lack of reflexes).

First aid for insulin overdose

Many patients are interested in the question of how to prevent hypoglycemic coma and death after administration excess insulin.

According to doctors, the victim must be provided with emergency assistance for several minutes after the onset of characteristic symptoms.

The patient can independently help himself to avoid hypoglycemic coma, for this you must follow the following rules:

  • At an early stage of an overdose of an insulin-containing drug, you need to eat 100 g of white bread. This product will help normalize the concentration of sugar in the body;
  • If after 5 minutes the signs do not disappear, then it is recommended to eat foods that contain fast carbohydrates (candy, jam or 2 teaspoons of sugar);
  • If symptoms persist after 5 minutes, fast carbohydrates should be taken again.

With an extreme degree of manifestation of hypoglycemia (fainting, convulsions), the patient is administered a glucose solution intravenously. To restore the sugar level at the critical stage of an overdose, the victim is given an injection of glucose (40%) in a volume of about 50 ml. If the victim does not regain consciousness 10 minutes after the injection, then the procedure is repeated.

Consequences of an overdose of insulin

Complications after the administration of an excess amount of insulin depend on the severity of the reaction. Mild hypoglycemia occurs in all diabetics.

Then main danger is chronic overdose insulin, which develops in patients with poor disease control. As a result, the treatment is carried out incorrectly, the diabetic's condition does not improve, and the likelihood of ketoacidosis increases ( threatening state, which threatens ketoacidotic coma and death).

Even a slight excess of insulin in the blood leads to such consequences as:

  • Meningitis;
  • swelling of the brain;
  • Disorders of mental activity;
  • Stroke;
  • heart attack;
  • Bleeding into retinal tissue.

According to doctors, there is a high probability of mild hypoglycemia in elderly patients and diabetics with cardiovascular diseases.

At the critical stage of overdose, there is a risk of hypoglycemic coma. In this case, it is necessary to provide emergency assistance to the victim, as the likelihood of cardiac arrest increases.

Hypoglycemic shock develops when glucose levels drop to 5 mmol/L below normal.

If the patient did not have time to inject glucose solution intravenously, then death occurs. This is due to the inhibition of the functions of the respiratory organs and the circulatory system.

chronic insulin overdose syndrome

Regular overdose of insulin threatens chronic overdose. This condition is accompanied by the production of hormones (adrenaline, corticosteroids, glucagon), which prevent a decrease in the concentration of glucose in the blood.

Somoji syndrome (chronic overdose) is manifested by the following symptoms:

  • Diabetes mellitus is severe;
  • Appetite increases;
  • Weight increases, the concentration of sugar in urine increases;
  • Predisposition to ketoacidosis;
  • Increased content of acetone in the urine;
  • Sudden fluctuations in the amount of sugar throughout the day;
  • It usually appears increased content glucose;
  • Hypoglycemia often develops (several times in 24 hours).

Usually, the sugar level decreases in the morning (from 5 to 7 o'clock), this is due to an increase in the production of counter-regulatory hormones (adrenaline, cortisone glucagon, growth hormone). Hypoglycemia also occurs as a result of weakening therapeutic action evening dose of an insulin-containing drug.

Hypoglycemic coma develops from 2 to 4 hours, then the glucose concentration decreases to 4 mmol / l and below. Then there are compensatory reactions of the body. As a result, in the morning the diabetic feels the symptoms of hyperglycemia, which resulted from an overdose of the evening portion of the drug.

Lethal dose of insulin for a healthy person and for a diabetic

The decision to determine the appropriate dose of insulin is made by the endocrinologist based on the concentration of sugar in the blood.

The lethal dose for each patient is different. Some diabetics suffer from mild hypoglycemia after 300-500 IU, while others develop hypoglycemic shock as early as 100 IU. The body's response to insulin depends on many factors, but the most important is body weight.

For example, a person weighs 60 kg, then the appropriate dose for him is 60 IU. And a portion of an insulin-containing drug in 100 IU is already threatening with a fatal outcome. The optimal dosage of insulin for a diabetic weighing 90 kg is 90 units.

An overdose is very dangerous for a sick and healthy person. At the same time, not only the signs and general deterioration of the condition, but also the consequences of hypoglycemic coma, carry a mortal threat.

What happens if you inject insulin to a healthy person?

A safe dose of insulin for a healthy person is 2 to 4 IU. And athletes inject about 20 IU of a substance per day to increase muscle mass.

Adult patients who suffer from diabetes can use 20 to 50 IU.

Sometimes doctors make mistakes and administer the drug to a healthy person. Then the solution has a detrimental effect on the body, poisoning it.

As a rule, the following symptoms appear during intoxication:

  • Violation of the heart;
  • Hypertension;
  • Headache;
  • Panic attack;
  • Disorders of coordination;
  • A sharp increase in appetite;
  • General weakness of the body.

Based on the foregoing, an overdose of insulin is an extremely dangerous condition that threatens severe consequences up to death. Mild hypoglycemia can be prevented with foods containing fast carbohydrates, and critical hypoglycemia with glucose solution. To avoid an overdose, it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of glucose in the blood, and follow the recommendations of the endocrinologist.

What dose of sugar is considered lethal

Any substance can cause intoxication of the body and even lead to death. And it doesn't have to be medications, toxic substances or poisonous plants. Severe poisoning with a fatal outcome can be due to excessive consumption of familiar foods - sugar, salt, water, sausage or coffee. The lethal dose of sugar for a person is about 2 kilograms, but even with a smaller amount of the sweet ingredient, irreversible processes in the human body can begin. What danger sugar poses and how much it can be consumed per day without consequences, this needs to be dealt with.

What is the harm of sugar

Not all people know whether sugar is harmful. This product will not harm health if consumed in moderation and without fanaticism. Sugar poisoning in medical practice is quite rare, and poisoning often occurs not with a pure substance, but with various carbonated drinks and confectionery. The amount of sugar in terms of pure substance in drinks is 3-4 tablespoons per glass of soda. This is a large volume, so a person who constantly drinks cola, fanta or other pops will certainly encounter various diseases. An overdose of sugar leads to disruption of the work of some organs and systems, which is manifested by such conditions:

  • Damage to liver cells, due to which obstructive jaundice develops.
  • Violation of the pancreas, which can lead to acute pancreatitis or diabetes.
  • Violation of the central nervous system, the signs of which are persistent depressive states.
  • Damage to tooth enamel and inflammation of the gums.

A strong excess of sugar dosage in patients with various forms of diabetes can lead to retinal detachment and visual impairment, as well as diseases of the kidneys, heart and nervous system.

The lethal dose of sugar in the blood is 28 grams per 1 kg of human body weight, calculated as a pure substance. This means that a person weighing 70 kg should eat about 2 kg of pure sugar at a time.

Sugar can be poisonous too

Ordinary sugar is poison if its consumption is immoderate. Poisoning can be triggered not only by a sweet substance, but also harmful microorganisms which thrive in confectionery. Treating yourself to a sweet cake with air cream, you can face an infection.

Symptoms of sugar poisoning are quite specific, they are easy to identify:

  • increased excitability is noticeable, which after a while is replaced by aggression;
  • there is pain in the stomach;
  • there may be nausea and vomiting;
  • a person is tormented by intense thirst, but urination is disturbed.

If, after severe poisoning with sweets, a person remains alive, then his pancreas is depleted, which is why diabetes develops over time.

The body activates all the resources to digest the shock amount of sweets, due to this, the work of the stomach and intestines is disturbed.

Sugar and children

Many parents do not even suspect that sweets that children eat in unlimited quantities pose a serious danger to their health. If you analyze all the holidays that were celebrated with a lot of sweets on the table, you will notice that children, after abusing sweets, become uncontrollable. This leads to the fact that it is simply impossible for children to be put to sleep or forced to do something, they begin to have a strong tantrum.

If parents limit their child's sugar intake Everyday life, then you need to limit it on holidays. If the baby, who had previously eaten properly, is overfed with sweet foods, then his blood glucose level rises sharply. As a result of this, an excessive release of insulin into the blood occurs and the child begins to experience severe hunger after a minute.

The pancreas in children is a rather weak organ, which, with a regular excess of sweets, quickly fails. It must be remembered that in recent years the number of cases of diabetes in children has increased.

During the holidays, adults and children overeat heavily, and sugar-containing foods play a significant role here. This leads to persistent disorders of the digestive system.

It must be remembered that even sugar can cause poisoning and death if eaten too much. If a person consumes sweet foods without measure, then the result can be rather sad, and nothing will even have time to stick together.

Support our project in the social. networks!

Write what you think Cancel reply

All information on the site otravlenye.ru is for informational purposes only and is not an instruction for action.

For medical assistance, we strongly recommend that you consult a doctor.

Scientists have established lethal doses for humans of various everyday products, substances and phenomena.

Everything has a lethal dosage, even water, salt and sugar, let alone tobacco, alcohol, and even more so hard drugs like heroin or amphetamine, the slightest excess of which can lead to overdose and death. The article provides a list of lethal doses of what we encounter in everyday life from water to sunlight.

The concept of "lethal dose" means the amount of a substance after which almost any normal person has 100% death. Due to the fact that all people are different, for some, an overdose with subsequent death can occur much earlier and from much smaller amounts, so do not think that “up to” means you can, do not try to find the limit of your body! And remember - the use of any drugs causes irreparable harm to health and leads to the development of drug addiction!


Lethal doses various substances when taken orally

Doses of acute poisoning are given for adults who are not addicted to poison

Name Lethal dose (gram/person) Type of damage to the body
Adrenalin 0.005-0.010 (s / c, inside - harmless) Hypertensive crisis
Nitric acid (25%) 5-10 chemical burn
Aymalin 2-3
Aconite (dry plant) 1-2
Aconitine 0,0015-0,006
Aminorex 1,0
Amphetamine 0,12-0,2
Analgin 5-8 Inhibition of hematopoiesis
Aniline 4-25
Antipyrine 5-30
Apomorphine 0,6
Arecoline 0,05
Aspirin 10
Atropine 0,1-1
Acetanilide 4
Acetone 75
barium carbonate 0,5-4,0
Colchicum (seeds) 2-5
Benzene 10-30
Pale grebe (fresh mushroom) 30-50 Liver damage
Boric acid 2-20
Bromine 1,0
Bromisoval 3-10
Bromoform 15
warfarin 3,5-5
Veratrin 0,01-0,02
Bismuth nitrate basic 8
Heroin (for non-addicts) 0,05-0,075
hydroquinone 2
Hyoscyamine 0,1-1,0
Glycerol 50-500
Homatropin 0,7-7,0
1,2-dibromoethane 6
Diphenhydramine 0,5-2
dimethyl sulfate 1-5
4,6-Dinitro-o-cresol 0,35-2
2,4-Dinitrophenol 1,0
Dichlorobenzene (ortho- and meta-) 15
1,2-Dichloroethane 6
diethyl ether 25-30
Dulcin 5 Liver damage
Iron dichloride 30
inkstone 3-50
iodine 2-3
Iodine tincture (pharmacy) 30
iodoform 3
Iproniazid 0,6
Cadmium sulfate 0,03-0,05
Potassium bichromate 0,7-3,0
Potassium bromide 20
Potassium carbonate 20
Potassium nitrate 8
Potassium permanganate 5
Potassium chlorate 10-15
Potassium chloride 15
Cantharidin 0,04-0,08
Cocaine 0,5-1,0 Stimulation followed by depression of the central nervous system.
cocculus seeds 2-3 convulsions
Colchicine 0,05-0,1
Konyin 0,5-1,0
Corazol 6 Convulsive
Caffeine 10
Lemon acid 20
lithium chloride 8
Maleic acid 10
copper sulfate ( blue vitriol) 8
Methadone 0,1
Metaldehyde 4
methylene chloride 20
methamphetamine 0,35-1,5
Methyl alcohol(methanol) 20-100
Juniper (medicinal raw material) 20
Morphine 0,3 Respiratory depression
Formic acid 30
Arsenic(III) oxide (white arsenic) 0,06-0,3
Nalorfin 0,2
sodium azide 0,3-0,5
sodium iodide 10
sodium nitrate 10-15
sodium nitrite 2-4 Methemoglobinemia
Sodium oxalate 15
Naphthalene 2-20
Nicotine 0,04-0,1
Paraldehyde 25-30
Parathion 1
Paracetamol 15 Liver damage
Pethidine 1,0
Picrotoxin 0,02 convulsions
Pilocarpine 0,06 Dehydration
Primalin 0,4
Prozerin (neostigmine) 0,06
emetic nut seeds 0,75-3,0 Convulsive
Sabinol 0,1-0,2
Lead acetate 5-30
Sevin 0,3-0,5
Rochelle salt 20-50
Silver nitrate 10-30
Sulfuric acid conc 1-10 chemical burn
Turpentine 60
Hydrochloric acid conc. 20 chemical burn
streptocide 20
Strychnine 0,1-0,3 convulsions
Corrosive sublimate 0,2-1,0 Kidney damage
Tavegil 0,5-2
Thallium sulfate 0,6
Carbon tetrachloride 3-5 Liver damage
Tranylcyproline 0,5
Tricresyl Phosphate 2
tripelennamine 2
Acetic acid (70%) 50 chemical burn
Acetic acid (96%) 20 chemical burn
Phenacetin 5-10 Liver damage
Phenol 1-30
Physostigmine 0,006-0,01
Formalin (35%) 10-50
Quinine 5-8
Chloroform 20-70 Liver damage
Chlorcholine chloride 0,7-7,0
Chromium(VI) oxide 1-2
cyanamide 40-50
Cyclodol 1-7
zinc oxide 10
Zinc chloride 3-5
Zinhofen 2-6
hellebore roots 1-2
Hellebore seeds 10
Saffron seed 5-10
Oxalic acid 5 Precipitation of calcium oxalate in the kidneys, acidosis.
Eucalyptus oil 20
ethylene glycol 150 Kidney damage
Ethanol 300-800
Ephedrine 1-2 Hypertensive crisis

1. Water

Lethal dose - 14 liters, drunk in a short time (3 - 5 hours).


30. Provokes exacerbation of chronic appendicitis.

31. Promotes the appearance of hemorrhoids.

33. May lead to an increase in glucose and insulin levels in women using hormonal birth control pills.

34. Contributes to the occurrence of periodontal disease.

35. Increases the risk of developing osteoporosis.

36. Increases acidity.

37. May impair insulin sensitivity.

38. Leads to a decrease in glucose tolerance.

39. May reduce the production of growth hormone.

40. Can increase cholesterol levels.

41. Promotes an increase in systolic pressure.

42. Causes drowsiness in children.

43. Can cause multiple sclerosis.

44. Causes a headache.

45. Violates the absorption of proteins.

46. ​​Causes food allergies.

47. Promotes the development of diabetes.

48. In pregnant women, it can cause toxicosis.

49. Causes eczema in children.

50. Predisposes to the development of cardiovascular diseases.

51. May disrupt the structure of DNA.

52. Causes a violation of the structure of proteins.

53. By changing the structure of collagen, it contributes early appearance wrinkles.

54. Predisposes to the development of cataracts.

55. May cause vascular damage.

56. Leads to the appearance of free radicals.

57. Provokes the development of atherosclerosis.

58. Contributes to the occurrence of emphysema.

59. Sugar reduces the functionality of enzymes.

60. People with Parkinson's disease consume sugar in large quantities.

61. Sugar can cause permanent changes in the action of proteins in the body.

62. Sugar can lead to an increase in the size of the liver, as it promotes cell division.

63. Sugar can lead to an increase in the amount of fatty deposits in the liver area.

64. Sugar can cause an increase in the size of the kidneys and pathological changes in this organ.

65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.

66. Sugar contributes to fluid retention in the body.

67. Sugar is the #1 enemy of digestion.

68. Sugar can contribute to the development of myopia.

69. Sugar can harm the lining of the capillaries.

70. Sugar leads to weakening and fragility of the tendons.

71. Sugar can cause headaches and migraines.

72. Sugar plays a significant role in causing pancreatic cancer in women.

73. Sugar can negatively impact children's learning outcomes by making it difficult to learn new material.

74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves.

75. Sugar can cause depression.

76. Sugar increases the risk of stomach cancer.

77. Sugar is the cause of dyspepsia (indigestion).

78. Excess sugar can increase the risk of developing gout.

79. Excess sugar can increase glucose levels in an oral glucose tolerance test for complex carbohydrates.

80. Excess sugar can increase insulin responses in people a lot with high content sugar diets versus low sugar diets.

81 High refined sugar diets impair learning ability.

82. Sugar can cause the less efficient functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which can decrease the body's ability to handle fat and cholesterol.

83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

84. Sugar can cause platelet stickiness.

85. Excess sugar can cause hormonal imbalances as some thyroid hormones become overactive and others become overactive.

86. Sugar can lead to kidney stones.

87. Sugar can cause the hypothalamus to become very sensitive to a wide variety of stimuli.

88. Sugar can make you dizzy.

89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radical damage and oxidative stress.

Have you ever thought about how much coffee you need to drink to be fatal? Or how many cigarettes can a person smoke at a time? It turns out that all these questions have been answered for a long time.

For example, the lethal dose of salt for humans is 250 grams. But about how much alcohol you need to drink to die, how much a person can really do without oxygen, or how loud a sound can kill on the spot - you will find out below.

1. Lethal dose of water.

If a person drinks about six liters of water in a short period of time, then irreversible processes will begin in the body. Cells with this volume of fluid will begin to swell, which will lead to headaches and convulsions, which can later end in coma or death. There is a known case when a person died after drinking 10 liters of water in 8 hours.

2. Lethal dose of nicotine.


The human body will not survive if he tries to smoke 94 cigarettes at a time.

3. Lethal dose of coffee.


Researchers claim that in order to provoke a fatal outcome, you need to drink about three cups of coffee every hour throughout the day and night. According to them, 70 cups of coffee contains enough caffeine to kill a person weighing up to 70 kg.

4. How many people can not breathe.


* Do not consume caffeine after 2:00 pm. Healthy sound sleep is very important for the normal functioning of the body, and caffeine can remain in the body for 8 hours or longer, so it is recommended to avoid or limit caffeine intake in the afternoon in order not to avoid sleep disorders.

* Combine caffeine with fitness. Caffeine is better absorbed before fitness - it improves the effectiveness of training, and the positive effect of sports helps to increase the body's resistance to stress and gives energy for the whole day.

The lethal dose of pure chocolate is from 10 to 50 kg. For a person, chocolate is more useful than harmful. The Mayans considered chocolate to be the food of the gods. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine. This is an analogue of caffeine, it gently stimulates the cardiovascular and nervous systems, causes a surge of strength. Its action is much weaker than that of caffeine, and therefore theobromine is completely harmless. Most of the theobromine is in high quality dark chocolate. To get a deadly dose of this substance, you need to eat, according to various sources, from ten to fifty kilograms of chocolate.

In addition to the stimulants theobromine, phenylethylamine, and caffeine, chocolate contains small amounts of cannabinoids (chemicals in the same family as the ingredients in marijuana). It is thanks to them that chocolate is really able to improve mood. The content of these substances is negligible and cannot give a pronounced narcotic effect.

5-6 ppm corresponds to 400-480 ml of pure alcohol drunk for an adult weighing 80 kg, or in other words, this is 1-1.2 liters of vodka drunk in a short period of time (5-6 hours). A ppm is one thousandth, 1/10 percent. 1 ppm blood alcohol means that each liter of human blood consists of 999.0 ml of pure blood 1 ml of pure alcohol. Pure alcohol is pure ethanol. So, 0.5 l of vodka is about 200 ml of pure ethanol. Drinking a healthy 80-kilogram man, these half-liters will turn into 2.5 ppm, which qualifies as strong degree intoxication.

With concentrations of alcohol in the blood of 3 ppm, death may well occur.

Lethal dose - 14 liters, drunk for little time(3 - 5 hours). 1.5-2 liters of water is the daily norm of a healthy person. Busting several times can lead to the so-called water poisoning, or water intoxication, a violation of the water-salt metabolism in the body. The kidneys simply do not have time to remove everything drunk from the body, the salt concentration will drop, and water will begin to fill the intracellular environment. As a result - swelling of the brain, lungs, etc. Death comes from washing away needed by the body salts, therefore, washing the stomach with water, do not forget to salt it.

The lethal dose is 3.0 g/kg (grams per kilogram of body weight). The daily need for salt is 1.5-4 g, and in hot climates, as a result of increased sweating, it is many times higher.
Simple edible salt is a lot of poison - a lethal dose is 100 times the daily intake and forms 3 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight, in other words, for a person weighing 83 kg, a quarter of a kilogram pack is a lethal dose.
Due to an excess of salt in the blood, blood pressure will rise sharply (which is dangerous in itself), and this will be accompanied by severe edema (1 g of sodium chloride leads to a delay in the body of 100 ml of fluid). Most likely, there will be swelling of the brain and lungs, and as a result - the end.

Lethal dose of sugar: 29.7 g/kg (grams per kilogram of body weight). WHO considers the norm of sugar consumption - harmless to health - 38 kg per person per year.

Lethal dose of caffeine: 150 to 200 mg per kilogram of body weight. In a good espresso, which in native Italy is more like a sip of adrenaline, a regular “shot” (30 ml) contains no less than 100 mg of caffeine. Order 150 cups (only 4.5 liters) and you're done.

Taking into account the likely negative and positive consequences for health, caffeine can be our friend, as long as we don't abuse its friendship, of course. Here's what to keep in mind about caffeine:

* Do not consume caffeine a lot. Due to the health hazards (see above) and the potential for physical dependence, caffeine intake is recommended to be reduced to 2 cups of coffee per day (abstinence symptoms: cravings, headaches, fatigue, and muscle pain).

* Do not consume caffeine after 14:00. Healthy sound sleep is extremely important for the normal functioning of the body, and caffeine can remain in the body for 8 hours or longer, therefore it is recommended to refuse or reduce caffeine consumption in the evening, so as not to avoid sleep disturbances.

* Combine caffeine with fitness. Caffeine is better absorbed before fitness classes - it enhances the effectiveness of training, and the positive effect of sports helps to expand the body's resistance to stress and gives energy for the whole day.

The lethal dose of pure chocolate is from 10 to 50 kg. For a person, chocolate is more necessary than harmful. The Mayans considered chocolate to be the food of the gods. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine. This is an analogue of caffeine, it gently stimulates the cardiovascular and nervous systems, leads to a burst of energy. Its effect is not much stronger than that of caffeine, and therefore theobromine is completely harmless. Most of the theobromine in dark high-quality chocolate. To get a deadly dose of this substance, it is necessary to eat, according to various sources, from ten to fifty kilograms of chocolate.

In addition to the stimulants theobromine, phenylethylamine, and caffeine, chocolate contains small amounts of cannabinoids (substances from the same family as the constituents of marijuana). It is thanks to them that chocolate is really able to improve mood. The content of these substances is negligible and does not have the ability to give a pronounced narcotic effect.

The lethal dose of alcohol is 7.06 g/kg (grams per kilogram of body weight). Deadly concentration alcohol in the blood is considered 5-6 ppm.
5-6 ppm corresponds to 400-480 ml of pure alcohol drunk for an adult weighing 80 kg, or in other words, this is 1-1.2 liters of vodka drunk in a short time period (5-6 hours). A ppm is one thousandth, 1/10 percent. 1 ppm blood alcohol indicates that any liter of human blood consists of 999.0 ml of pure blood 1 ml of pure alcohol. Pure alcohol is pure ethanol. So, 0.5 l of vodka is approximately 200 ml of pure ethanol. Drunk by a healthy 80-kilogram man, these half-liters will turn into 2.5 ppm, which qualifies as a strong degree of intoxication.

An indicative scheme for determining the severity of alcohol intoxication:
no influence of alcohol - up to 0.5 ppm
slight degree of intoxication - 0.5 - 1.5 ppm
average degree of intoxication - 1.5 - 2.0 ppm
a strong degree of intoxication - 2.0-3.0 ppm
severe poisoning - 3.0-5.0 ppm
fatal poisoning - more than 5.0 ppm
With concentrations of alcohol in the blood of 3 ppm, death can fully occur.

Lethal dose - 8 hours of sunburn in the heat. It takes a person 2 to 8 hours to get a major heat stroke. First, weakness, headache, dizziness, tinnitus, later - an increase in temperature to 40-42C, nausea, increased heart rate and respiration, absurdity, lowering blood pressure, loss of consciousness.

The lethal dose is 1 mg of nicotine per 1 kg of body weight. A strong 80-kilogram man will be mowed down with 80 mg of nicotine. If we take into account that each cigarette of classical Java contains 0.8 mg, then the lethal dose is 100 cigarettes. Half a block at a time - and you're done

Medicines and medicines

Lethal dose of iodine: more than 3 grams
Lethal dose of analgin: more than 10 g
Lethal dose of aspirin: 0.2 g/kg or more than 30 gr.
Lethal dose of paracetamol: 1,944 g/kg or more than 10 g, but after 5 g, the effects and symptoms of overdose begin with complete and final liver failure.
It is possible not only to recover with drugs, but also to suffer from them, especially if, in an attempt to quickly achieve the desired result, you increase the dose in the hope of a rapid recovery.

The lethal dose is more than 0.1 ampere. Currently, six US states (Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia) use the death penalty in the electric chair. Voltage - from 1700 to 2700 volts, current - up to 6 amperes (terrible for life - 0.1 amperes), two discharges lasting from 20 seconds to any minute. If everything goes according to the rules, the condemned loses consciousness after 1/240 of a second and, in fact, dies instantly.

Household electricity is also dangerous. Theoretically, taking a long nail with a wet hand and putting it into a simple outlet with a voltage of 220 volts, it is possible to take a current discharge with a power of up to 0.1-0.2 amperes (and a large current at which a person is still able to independently tear his hand away from the contact, - 0.01 ampere). After 1-3 seconds, respiratory paralysis will occur, heart failure - and death.

The lethal dose is 500,000 bites. A female mosquito, which weighs an average of 2.6 mg, can suck blood from you twice its weight, in other words, about 5 mg, or 0.005 ml. Blood is approximately 7% of the total body weight, 5-5.5 liters for the average man. A person without harm to himself can lose up to 15% of blood, but a one-time loss of 2-2.5 liters is already considered fatal. So, if during a short walk through the summer forest you allow yourself to be bitten by half a million mosquito females, then it’s definitely the end.

Lethal dose of radiation: 600 rem at a time. For one session of fluoroscopy, a person receives from 3 to 66 rem, depending on the duration of the session and the area of ​​the body being examined (X-ray of the lungs is about 3-7 rem, the hip joint - 66). Helping a person with an overdose should be immediate and begin with a call to an ambulance. After that, you need to realize by what method the overdose happened, if a person took something inside, then you need to immediately induce vomiting and do a gastric lavage, feed the victim with a lion's dose of activated charcoal and give a laxative. If the person is not breathing or has no pulse, perform forced ventilation and/or chest compressions, as appropriate, until the doctors arrive.

As the medieval Swiss alchemist, philosopher and physician Paracelsus said: Everything is poison, nothing is without poison; one dose makes the poison invisible. These words apply to all substances. Even to those habitual ones that are not critical in normal doses, but in large quantities can kill a person. Where is the line when food or liquid, completely harmless, becomes a deadly poison?

The lethal dose of a substance depends on many factors: on the concentration, on the weight of the person who eats, on his age, state of health, immune system and metabolism. For this reason, we can only speak about the risky dose of the product.

When it comes to the degree of toxicity, the most acceptable calculation is the lethal dose as the amount in mg per kilogram of body weight that can kill 50% of the people tested. By itself, this idea already contains an inaccuracy. No such test has been carried out in which fifty out of a hundred people died. It's about about protecting life, not about killing. The figures given by food science are based on an average adult weighing 75 kg.

Caffeine: 93 espressos

The possibility of dying from drinking too much coffee is usually the subject of a lot of talk... before a cup of coffee. Luckily for those who can't live without this miraculous drink, the amount of coffee it takes for caffeine to kill a person is 93 espressos.

The lethal dose of caffeine is 10 grams. However, it varies from one person to another. In general, it is believed that consuming 150 mg of caffeine for every kilogram of body weight can kill. Following this calculation, a person weighing 50 kg can die after consuming 7.5 grams of pure caffeine, 80 kg - after 12 grams. For children, doses are much lower (35 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) because children's body metabolizes caffeine much more slowly.

According to the Chilean National Coffee Association, a 240 ml cup of espresso coffee contains between 65 and 120 mg of caffeine. The amount of caffeine can vary due to different coffees and brewing methods. Ultimately, if we assume that we take weak coffee (65 mg of caffeine per cup), a person weighing 75 kilograms can die from 173 cups of coffee. If the coffee is strong (120 mg) - 93 is enough. In general, it is estimated that a lethal dose of coffee is from 50 to 200 cups, depending on the combination of circumstances.

Symptoms of acute caffeine poisoning include tremor, vomiting, tachycardia, arrhythmia, or hyperglycemia. The recommended daily dose of caffeine for an adult should not exceed 300 mg (5 cups of espresso coffee). In any case, it is not recommended to abuse coffee. Doctors recommend that healthy adults should not consume more than 300 or 400 milligrams of caffeine per day (or 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight). Five cups of espresso have the same caffeine content as twelve cans of cola.

Of course, this refers to pure caffeine, and not all other products prepared on its basis. If a person drinks 12 cans of cola a day, the amount of caffeine consumed will be the least of their problems. Coke lovers face death from excess sugar.

Sugar: 2 kg

Everyone loves candy, but modern foods contain way too much sugar. The problem is not so much with the sugar we put in coffee, but with the sugar in many foods, such as soft drinks and carbonated drinks.

The only consolation is that the amount of sugar, from which you can die, is so high that it does not fit in the stomach. According to experiments conducted on rats, the toxicity of sucrose is 29,700 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. If we take into account a person weighing 75 kg, then he should eat 2.17 kg of sugar with a spoon. Ah, pah!

To achieve the average lethal dose of sugar (for a person weighing 50 kg) when drinking Coca-Cola, you need to drink 38 cans, or you need to drink more than 7 bottles of two liters of soda. Never drink soda on a dare!

One can of Coca-Cola already exceeds the daily dose of sugar recommended by the World Health Organization.

The problem of sugar is not the dose that causes acute poisoning. Sugar is chronic poisoning. The World Health Organization recommends that only 5 to 10% of the calories we consume per day be sugar. For a healthy adult, that's about 25 grams of sugar per day. One can of cola already provides 39 grams. List of health problems associated with use sugar diet so long that you get tired of listing: tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, liver problems, or even pancreatic cancer.

Salt: four tablespoons

Let's move on from the sweetest death to the saltier one. How much salt is enough to kill a person? The answer is that quite a few. There is a good reason not to drink sea ​​water. Salt is the most toxic product even in relatively small doses.

For an adult, 0.75 to 3 grams of salt per kilogram of body weight is enough to die. A person weighing 80 kg can die after eating just 60 grams of salt at once. One teaspoon of salt is already 15 grams, so the urban legend may be true: in some cases, four tablespoons of salt can kill. You'll probably need more, but it's best not to risk it.

It is estimated that in the UK every adult consumes about 11 grams of salt per day, of which 75% comes from processed foods. The fact is that most of this salt is usually excreted through the water we drink.

Salt is deadly not only in pure form. Some products containing sodium chloride can also be dangerous. In 2011, the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine reported on a case in which a 55-year-old Japanese woman diagnosed with depression attempted suicide by drinking a bottle of soy sauce. Symptoms of acute salt poisoning include convulsions, cerebral edema, and coma. Do not abuse salt!

Water: 6.7 l

Water is also toxic if we drink it. enough, and this number is much less than it seems. In fact, if someone tried to commit suicide by drinking Coca-Cola or coffee, he would die sooner from excess water, before caffeine causes irreparable harm. According to Science-Lab, a lethal dose of water by mouth is 90 milliliters per kilogram of body weight. That is, a lethal dose of water is only 6.7 liters (13 bottles) of water.

Just like salt, water affects our body on cellular level. If we drink too much water, our kidneys are unable to process it, the body retains water in the tissues. In most organs, cells have room to expand after absorbing large amounts of water, but the brain is not one of those areas. Excess water can cause swelling of the brain. This is an extreme case, but unfortunately there have been several deaths.

Alcohol: 13 shots of strong alcohol

Drinking a lot is bad, we already know that, but how much beer do you have to drink to understand that it's time to stop? You only need to look above to see that, in a pinch, beer will kill us before water, and it's all about the percentage of alcohol. The lethal dose of alcohol is 7.060 milliliters of ethanol per kilogram of body weight. In other words, half a liter of alcohol is enough for a person weighing 75 kilograms.

In the pages of the Compound Interest, however, the calculation of this figure is much lower: 13 shots of strong alcohol such as vodka (40 degrees) to kill a 75 kilogram adult. Each shot glass contains about 45 milliliters. It all depends on the habit and physical condition. Also, the time of admission is very important. If you drink all night, the next day, the hangover will remind us that the consequences of alcohol are not good, even if you do not reach a lethal dose.

Take care of yourself and loved ones!

Materials used es.gizmodo.com

I read it here by accident lethal dosage Everything has it, even water, salt and sugar. And talking about tobacco, alcohol, and even more so drugs, it becomes simply ridiculous. I will make a small list of lethal doses of ordinary, one might say everyday foods and medicines.

Note! Under the concept lethal dose implies the amount after which a person, according to any, death occurs. Of course, all people are different, for some, allergies can be fatal, and for some, even drugs cannot harm. But I digress, remember, ignorance does not save you from the consequences.

Overdose with plain water.
Do not laugh! Despite what they say, the body needs to receive it constantly, death can occur from washing out the salts that the body needs. In the case of washing the stomach with water, try not to forget to salt it.
Lethal dose of water: 14 liters of water drunk within a few hours.

Salt overdose.
Salty lovers, be aware how little regular table salt, and leads to kidney failure and painful death. Do not test the statement that you can eat a pound of salt "in one sitting."
Lethal dose of table salt: 60 grams

Sugar overdose.
Sweet tooth? not even funny anymore. And if you are now grinning, I hasten to disappoint you, the consequences and symptoms of an overdose of sugar are no less painful. The lethal dose is not much higher. Believe it or not, an ordinary package of granulated sugar can kill 5 people.
Lethal dose of sugar: 200 grams

Alcohol overdose.
Everyone has heard and everyone knows. With all this, about 50,000 people die every year in Russia from alcohol poisoning. It follows that every 10 minutes another person drank too much and died. I wonder how much time should pass when a Russian person learns to observe the measure. When buying a box of vodka, you need to remember that you will not please your relatives.

The lethal dose of alcohol is 7-8 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight. If you calculate the weight of 64 kg, then after 500 grams of pure alcohol death will occur. This is a little more than 2 bottles of vodka, just! It should be noted that for a non-drinking person, the norm is lower.

An overdose of nicotine.
Do you smoke a lot and often? A pack or two a day? If you smoke in one sitting, then you will not have to read this warning. One pack of cigarettes just contains deadly nicotine for humans. (My husband smokes a little over a pack a day. When will freedom come?)

Lethal dose of nicotine: 1 mg per 1 kg of body weight, we believe, 70 kg, an overdose of nicotine will come from 70 mg. How many cigarettes it is, count yourself if you smoke.

coffee overdose.
Most people drink coffee in the morning, then at work, and again when they come home. But it turns out that the lethal dose of caffeine is only 10 grams. True, this amounts to 5 liters of coffee. Probably, the strength of the drink has not yet been taken into account.

Medicinal properties of bay leaf in diabetes

In our life, it is very important to observe moderation and proper concentration in everything. This was very accurately expressed by one of the founders of modern pharmacology Paracelsus (1493 - 1541) in his famous phrase: “Everything is poison, everything is medicine; both are determined by the dose. Absolutely every substance, even the most indispensable and necessary for the continuation of life, has its own lethal dose, which, moreover, is not so great.

1. Alcohol

Alcohol, of course, is not vital necessary product nutrition, but many people love to use it as such, often completely forgetting about every measure. A single lethal dose for a person is from 4 to 12 grams of pure alcohol per kilogram of body weight. Also, for an adult male, the presence of 5-6 ppm of ethanol in the blood will be a lethal concentration (1 ppm of a substance means that 1 ml of this substance contains 1 liter of liquid). Such a concentration can be achieved by drinking about 3 bottles of vodka in one sitting (unless, of course, the body’s natural defense works in the form of an urgent discharge of excess poisonous substance by all possible ways). But there are also funny cases. For example, in 2004, in a hospital in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, 9.14 ppm of ethanol was found in the blood of a pedestrian hit by a car. The test was repeated several times, and all the time a concentration many times higher than the lethal concentration was obtained. The most interesting thing is that the unusual patient soon recovered.

Despite its toxicity, ethanol can be used as an antidote for poisoning with other alcohols (for example, methanol or ethylene glycol).

2. Vitamins

Absolutely all essential vitamins for life are terrible poisons if consumed without measure. Sometimes both a deficiency and an excess of a particular vitamin leads to very similar external manifestations. For example, beriberi and vitamin A hypervitaminosis will have dry, rough skin and increased hair loss. The amounts of vitamins in which they are vital are usually very small, and exceeding these concentrations leads to either acute or chronic poisoning. The doses in which you can take vitamins are necessarily indicated on the packages of the drug, because in order to kill or very seriously injure yourself, one or two pharmacy packages are enough.

3. Sunshine

After several years of regularly recurring “heat-waves,” even northerners know how dangerous the Sun can be. From the beginning of the twentieth century, until about the 80s, it was generally accepted that the more time you spend on The sun the healthier you will be. But now it is already known for sure that excessive exposure to the Sun leads not only to purely external skin defects, but also to such “long-term” consequences as accelerated aging, decreased sexual function and development oncological diseases(Insufficient exposure to the Sun is also fraught with absolutely the same consequences).

Sunstroke is an extremely dangerous condition, it develops suddenly, and the mortality rate reaches 30%. Therefore, if being on open sun, a person begins to feel unwell, it is better to play it safe and try to go into the shadows.

4. Nicotine

Nicotine is not only found in tobacco. There is quite a lot of it in potatoes, and in tomatoes, eggplants and green bell peppers. True, the nicotine contained in these plants does not cause harm due to its insufficient concentration.


Nicotine is the strongest poison not only for all warm-blooded animals, but even for insects. The sensitivity to nicotine in different animal species is very different: for example, rats die when receiving 50 mg per kilogram of body weight, 5.9 mg is enough for mice, and for humans, a dose of 0.5-1 mg per kilogram of body weight is fatal (for comparison, lethal famous dose potassium cyanide is 1.7 mg per kilogram of body weight). When smoking, most of the nicotine in the cigarette is simply burned off and converted into a less toxic poison. To kill yourself immediately, and not gradually, you need to smoke about a hundred cigarettes in one sitting.

5. Salt

No living being can live without salt. But the daily need for this substance is extremely small - only 1.5-4 g. If the body experiences chronic deficiency salt, then the destruction of bones and the death of muscles begins, the work of the heart and stomach is disturbed, severe depression develops, and others mental illness. Complete absence salt in food (although this situation rarely occurs) can kill in about 10 days.

Excess salt is no less dangerous than its lack. The fact that “salt is a white poison”, when there is too much of it, has been known to everyone for a long time. For a person, a lethal dose is a single intake of about 250 g of salt. Death in this case will be very difficult, since you will have to die from numerous edema.

6. Caffeine

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, cola and many other plants. In small doses, it causes a surge of strength and a feeling of cheerfulness, which, however, after 3-6 hours are replaced by increased fatigue, lethargy and depression. A lethal dose for a person is 10 grams of pure caffeine (provided that all of it enters the bloodstream). That is, in order to poison yourself to death, for example, with a good Italian espresso, you will need not only to drink about 4.5 liters of this excellent drink at a time, but also to thoroughly absorb all the caffeine that it contains.

7. Water

Water is the basis of life. Everyone knows this. Nevertheless, you can not only drown in water - you can also get poisoned by it, moreover, absolutely clean, drinking water if you drink too much. If the body has received too much water, a state of hyperhydration occurs, leading to a violation of the water-salt metabolism, numerous disorders of all body systems and death. To achieve this state, you need to drink about 7 liters of water during the day.


Water poisoning is rare, but it does happen sometimes. For example, soldiers become victims of water poisoning after exhausting crosses in the heat. But there are also curious cases - for example, the English schoolgirl Lee Bett in November 1995, celebrating her 18th birthday, first took Ecstasy, and then drank 7 liters of water in just an hour and a half. Death came within 4 hours.

In June 2002, in the US city of Springville, a mother forced her 4-year-old daughter to drink almost 4 liters of water as punishment. The child died and the mother went to prison.

In January 2007, radio station KDND in Sacramento, California ran a surprisingly stupid contest called Hold Your Wee for a Wii. One of the participants in this competition, Jennifer Strange, who drank 7.5 liters of water, died without reaching the final. And the winner of the competition (Lucy Davidson) became seriously ill. As a result, relatives filed multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the radio station and won them.

8. Electricity

There is no need to warn about the dangers of household electricity - almost everyone who uses electrical appliances sooner or later gets the opportunity to own experience learn that an electrical discharge can be very unpleasant. In our time, you can get a very painful electric shock without even using any devices. This happens especially often in winter, when the air in the apartments is dried up by central heating, and sparks fall from clothes and hair with every movement. If the strength of the current passing through the human body current exceeds 1 mA, then this already causes a very discomfort. D.C 60 mA or 300-500 mA alternating power can lead to a malfunction of the heart (or restore the work of a just stopped heart).

To kill a person with an electric chair, a voltage of 2700 V and a current of 5 A are used. The voltage is turned on twice for minutes with a break of 10 seconds. It's usually enough to kill yourself. strong man. But on October 16, 1985, it took 5 such blows to execute William Wendyver.

9. Mosquitoes

A female mosquito, if not disturbed, can suck about 5 mg of blood from a person. For a person, the loss of about 2.5 liters of blood is fatal. It turns out that about half a million mosquitoes can “seize to death” a person. But in this case, most likely, death will occur much earlier from a reaction to the saliva of mosquitoes, which they inject during a bite (it is their saliva that causes itching, swelling and other reactions).

10. Sausage
100 g of sausage (and any processed meat products) contains about 2 g of salt. Salt in large quantities is deadly to humans.


About 3 kg of sausage contains a lethal dose of salt (65 g) for a person of average weight.

When using a lethal dose of salt:

1) due to the large amount of sodium, fluid from the cells rushes into the bloodstream, which leads to an increase in pressure;
2) human tissues begin to dehydrate and gradually die.
The human brain can be especially affected, as it contains a lot of fluid. Due to dehydration, the brain can stop functioning, and the person will die.

11. Chocolate
Chocolate has a lot of sugar. Sugar in large quantities is deadly to humans.


1 kg of chocolate contains a lethal dose of sugar (700 g).

When taking a lethal dose of sugar:

1) the body begins to produce insulin, which tries to reduce sugar levels;
2) there is not enough insulin, so the body tries to excrete sugar in the urine;
3) together with sugar, a large amount of water is excreted from the body, which leads to dehydration of the body.
Dehydration can lead to death.

Lethal dose - 14 liters, drunk for a short time(3 - 5 hours). 1.5-2 liters of water is the daily norm of a healthy person. Busting 3-4 times can lead to the so-called water poisoning, or water intoxication, a violation of the water-salt metabolism in the body. The kidneys simply do not have time to remove everything drunk from the body, the salt concentration will drop, and water will begin to fill the intracellular environment. As a result - swelling of the brain, lungs, etc. Death comes from washing out the salts needed by the body, so when washing the stomach with water, do not forget to salt it.

Salt

The lethal dose is 3.0 g/kg (grams per kilogram of body weight). daily requirement in salt is 1.5-4 g, and in hot climates, as a result of increased sweating, it is several times higher.
Ordinary edible salt in large quantities is poison - the lethal dose is 100 times the daily intake and is 3 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight, that is, for a person weighing 83 kg, the lethal dose is a quarter of a kilogram pack.
Due to an excess of salt in the blood, blood pressure will rise sharply (which is dangerous in itself), and this will be accompanied by severe edema (1 g of sodium chloride leads to a delay in the body of 100 ml of fluid). Most likely, there will be swelling of the brain and lungs, and as a result - the end.

Sugar

Lethal dose of sugar: 29.7 g/kg (grams per kilogram of body weight). The World Health Organization considers the norm of sugar consumption - harmless to health - 38 kg per person per year.

Coffee

Lethal dose of caffeine: 150 to 200 mg per kilogram of body weight. In a good espresso, which in native Italy is more like a sip of adrenaline, a standard “shot” (30 ml) contains no less than 100 mg of caffeine. Order 150 cups (only 4.5 liters) and you’re done.

Considering the possible negative and positive effects on health, caffeine can be a friend to us, unless, of course, its “friendship” is abused. Here's what to remember about caffeine:

* Do not consume caffeine in large quantities. Due to the health risks (see above) and the potential for physical dependence, caffeine intake is recommended to be limited to 2 cups of coffee per day (abstinence symptoms: cravings, headaches, fatigue and muscle pain).

* Do not consume caffeine after 2:00 pm. Healthy sound sleep is very important for the normal functioning of the body, and caffeine can remain in the body for 8 hours or longer, so it is recommended to avoid or limit caffeine intake in the afternoon in order not to avoid sleep disorders.

* Combine caffeine with fitness. Caffeine is better absorbed before fitness - it improves the effectiveness of training, and the positive effect of sports helps to increase the body's resistance to stress and gives energy for the whole day.

Chocolate

The lethal dose of pure chocolate is from 10 to 50 kg. For a person, chocolate is more useful than harmful. The Mayans considered chocolate to be the food of the gods. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine. This is an analogue of caffeine, it gently stimulates the cardiovascular and nervous systems, causes a surge of strength. Its action is much weaker than that of caffeine, and therefore theobromine is completely harmless. Most of the theobromine is in high quality dark chocolate. To get a deadly dose of this substance, you need to eat, according to various sources, from ten to fifty kilograms of chocolate.

In addition to the stimulants theobromine, phenylethylamine, and caffeine, chocolate contains small amounts of cannabinoids (chemicals in the same family as the ingredients in marijuana). It is thanks to them that chocolate is really able to improve mood. The content of these substances is negligible and cannot give a pronounced narcotic effect.

Alcohol

The lethal dose of alcohol is 7.06 g/kg (grams per kilogram of body weight). The lethal concentration of alcohol in the blood is 5-6 ppm.
5-6 ppm corresponds to 400-480 ml of pure alcohol drunk for an adult weighing 80 kg, or in other words, this is 1-1.2 liters of vodka drunk in a short period of time (5-6 hours). A ppm is one thousandth, 1/10 percent. 1 ppm blood alcohol means that each liter of human blood consists of 999.0 ml of pure blood 1 ml of pure alcohol. Pure alcohol is pure ethanol. So, 0.5 l of vodka is about 200 ml of pure ethanol. Drunk by a healthy 80-kilogram man, these half-liters will turn into 2.5 ppm, which qualifies as a strong degree of intoxication.

An indicative scheme for determining the severity of alcohol intoxication:
no influence of alcohol - up to 0.5 ppm
slight degree of intoxication - 0.5 - 1.5 ppm
average degree of intoxication - 1.5 - 2.0 ppm
a strong degree of intoxication - 2.0-3.0 ppm
severe poisoning - 3.0-5.0 ppm
fatal poisoning - more than 5.0 ppm
With concentrations of alcohol in the blood of 3 ppm, death may well occur.

The sun

Lethal dose - 8 hours of sunburn in the heat. It takes a person 2 to 8 hours to get severe heat stroke. First, weakness, headache, dizziness, tinnitus, then - fever up to 40-42ºС, nausea, increased heart rate and respiration, delirium, lowering blood pressure, loss of consciousness.

Nicotine

The lethal dose is 1 mg of nicotine per 1 kg of body weight. A strong 80-kilogram man will be mowed down with 80 mg of nicotine. If we take into account that each cigarette of the classic "Java" contains 0.8 mg, then the lethal dose is 100 cigarettes. Half a block at a time - and you're done

Medicines and medicines

Lethal dose of iodine: more than 3 grams
Lethal dose of analgin: more than 10 g
Lethal dose of aspirin: 0.2 g/kg or more than 30 gr.
Lethal dose of paracetamol: 1,944 g/kg or more than 10g, however, after 5g, the effects and symptoms of an overdose begin with complete and final liver failure.
Medicines can not only cure you, but also suffer from them, especially if, in an attempt to quickly achieve the desired effect, you increase the dose in the hope of a quick recovery.

Electricity

The lethal dose is more than 0.1 ampere. Currently, six US states (Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia) use the death penalty in the electric chair. Voltage - from 1700 to 2700 volts, current strength - up to 6 amperes (life-threatening - 0.1 amperes), two discharges lasting from 20 seconds to a minute each. If everything goes according to the rules, the condemned loses consciousness after 1/240 of a second and dies almost instantly.

Household electricity is also dangerous. Theoretically, taking a long nail with a wet hand and sticking it into a regular outlet with a voltage of 220 volts, you can get a current discharge of up to 0.1-0.2 amperes (and the maximum current at which a person is still able to independently tear his hand away from the contact, - 0.01 ampere). After 1-3 seconds, respiratory paralysis will occur, heart failure - and death.

mosquitoes

The lethal dose is 500,000 bites. A female mosquito, which weighs an average of 2.6 mg, can suck blood from you twice its weight, that is, about 5 mg, or 0.005 ml. Blood is about 7% of the total body weight, 5-5.5 liters for the average man. A person without harm to himself can lose up to 15% of blood, but a one-time loss of 2-2.5 liters is already considered fatal. Thus, if during a short walk through the summer forest you allow yourself to be bitten by half a million female mosquitoes, then it’s definitely the end.

Radiation

Lethal dose of radiation: 600 rem at a time. For one session of fluoroscopy, a person receives from 3 to 66 rem, depending on the duration of the session and the area of ​​the body being examined (X-ray of the lungs is about 3-7 rem, the hip joint - 66). Helping a person with an overdose should be immediate and begin with a call to an ambulance. Then you need to understand how the overdose occurred, if a person took something inside, then you need to urgently induce vomiting and do a gastric lavage, feed the victim with a lion's dose activated carbon and give a laxative. If the person is not breathing or has no pulse, do artificial ventilation lungs and/or indirect massage hearts, depending on the situation.