Ohio teenage wrestler died from caffeine overdose -coroner

By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A healthy 18-year-old Ohio high school wrestler died last month from an overdose of powdered caffeine, a county coroner said on Wednesday. Logan J. Stiner, who was a senior at a high school in LaGrange, Ohio, and a state-qualified wrestler, was found dead by his brother in late May, authorities said. Stiner had consumed at least a teaspoon of powdered caffeine before his death and tests for caffeine level were ordered after police found a bag of what turned out to be powdered caffeine at his home, Lorain County coroner Dr. Steven Evans said. Evans said Stiner had a lethal level of caffeine in his system, the highest he had ever seen. The coroner said he does not believe Stiner, a national honor society member who planned to attend Toledo University, had any idea he had consumed a toxic amount of the powder. One teaspoon of the powder, which is used in homemade workout drinks, could have the caffeine equivalent of dozens of cans of soft drinks, he said. The powder, which can be purchased online and in bulk, is not regulated. Evans said he believed caffeine overdoses might be more common than people think and most coroners would not think to test for caffeine levels. "I wouldn't have done it, but we found a bag and there was no other reason for his death," Evans said. (Reporting by Kim Palmer; Editing by David Bailey and Doina Chiacu)