Coffee is part of many people’s daily routine, but the amount of caffeine in a cup can be much higher than the consumer might think. According to The Telegraph, a new review by the consumer protection organisation Which? in the UK has shown that the caffeine content of hot drinks sold in cafés varies significantly, even in drinks with the same name and size.
Experts at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) consider a maximum of 200 milligrams of caffeine per occasion to be safe for most healthy adults and recommend that total daily intake should not exceed 400 milligrams. Which’s review found that some café drinks can contain more than 200 and even more than 300 milligrams of caffeine in a single cup, thereby accounting for a large portion of the recommended daily maximum.
Duane Mellor, an honorary associate professor at the University of Leicester and a nutrition specialist, says the review’s results show that consumers cannot estimate their caffeine intake based solely on the type of drink.
One influential factor is the type of coffee bean. Arabica beans naturally have less caffeine than robusta, and Mellor says the caffeine content of robusta per bean can be up to twice as much. Robusta also produces more yield, is cheaper, and is more resistant to climate changes, but its taste is usually more bitter.
Drink size and the number of espresso shots can also significantly alter caffeine levels. Therefore, people who want to reduce caffeine intake can ask for fewer espresso shots when ordering. People who drink several coffees out each day should, in addition to the type of drink, pay attention to its caffeine content.
For example, a comparison of the caffeine content of popular hot drinks at major cafés Costa and Starbucks - including espresso, cappuccino, filter coffee, latte, Americano, flat white, and matcha - shows that Costa’s medium cappuccino had the highest caffeine content. A cup of this drink contained 325 milligrams of caffeine; an amount roughly equivalent to the caffeine in four cans of Red Bull energy drink (each can 80 milligrams).
This amount was about three and a half times that of Starbucks’ cappuccino, which contained 89 milligrams of caffeine.
On the other hand, the effect of caffeine is not the same for everyone. Weight and body size, genetic factors, and a person’s habitual caffeine use can affect the body’s reaction. Mellor says people who experience anxiety or palpitations should be more cautious, because caffeine can temporarily raise blood pressure. At the same time, observational studies have associated moderate coffee consumption with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Consuming a large amount of caffeine at once may have a more noticeable effect than consuming the same amount over the day. Regular coffee drinkers may also develop tolerance to caffeine, and sudden reduction can cause symptoms such as headache.
Some people experience a “caffeine crash” four to six hours after consumption, which can be accompanied by headache, severe fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. Excessive caffeine intake in one or two drinks can cause restlessness and nervous feelings in most people.
Greater limits are recommended during pregnancy. Mellor says the maximum recommended amount for pregnant women is 200 milligrams of caffeine per day; therefore just one cup of certain café coffees can exceed this threshold.
Timing of consumption also matters. Caffeine late in the day can disrupt sleep, and Mellor recommends avoiding it for at least four to six hours before bedtime.
Choosing decaffeinated coffee does not necessarily mean forgoing the potential benefits of coffee. Observational studies have linked moderate coffee consumption with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia, but it is unclear whether this association is due to caffeine. A meta-analysis involving more than one million people showed that both regular and decaffeinated coffee were associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The decaffeination process removes some of the coffee’s phenolic compounds, but a large amount of these compounds remain. For people who experience anxiety, palpitations, or sleep disturbances after drinking coffee, replacing part or all of their coffee with decaffeinated varieties can be a suitable option.