You May Accidentally Be Having More Caffeine Than You Realize
While it’s simple to keep track of the number of caffeinated drinks you have in a day, the stimulant has been making its way into more foods.
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Whether you reach for coffee, tea or energy drinks, sipping on caffeine throughout the day is a common practice for most Americans. According to data published in 2022, 93 percent of Americans report consuming some form of caffeine, with 75 percent of caffeine consumers reporting having at least one serving a day, and 25 percent consuming three or more daily. Most Americans underestimate what a safe amount of caffeine consumption looks like, with 29 percent not knowing what the safe amount even is.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that healthy adults limit caffeine consumption to no more than 400 milligrams per day to avoid negative, dangerous effects. The recommendation equates to about four to five cups of coffee (depending on how you strong you like yours – an eight-ounce cup yields between 80 and 100 milligrams). However, caffeine sensitivity can differ by person.
While it’s simple to keep track of how many cups of a caffeinated drink you consume per day, stimulants like caffeine are getting added to more and more foods, such as protein bars, granola, sports foods (like jellybeans and gels), and even baked goods. So if you’re just counting how many coffee cups you’ve had for the day, you might not be accounting for all the caffeine you’re consuming on a regular basis.
Here’s how to know whether you’re consuming too much caffeine, and if drinking or eating it can have different effects on your body.
How Do You Know if You’ve Had Too Much Caffeine?
Caffeine is a stimulant, and signs and symptoms of too much may include restlessness, irritability, increased anxiety and heart rate, upset stomach and sleep disturbances. Personal tolerance of this stimulant varies by several factors including hydration status, medication use and genetics. Once caffeine enters your system it can take up to 10 hours to clear.
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What Foods and Drinks Contain Natural and Added Caffeine?
Soft drinks, coffee, tea and energy drinks, respectively, top the list of the most popular sources of caffeine. Sipping on multiple sources of caffeine throughout the day, whether you realize it or not, can lead to dangerously high doses.
Ingredients like green tea extract, yerba mate, coffee bean extract and guarana are also found in many popular beverages and drink mixes. They also have caffeine or caffeine-like qualities and some carry additional risks to health. Green tea extract has been linked to severe liver damage, while yerba mate is contraindicated with numerous common over-the-counter and prescription substances and medications including nicotine, alcohol, birth control, anti-depressants and blood thinners.
Caffeine and other stimulants are also hiding in plain sight in many food, candy and dietary supplements. Some gum, gels and jellybeans are formulated to provide a jolt of caffeine during exercise, while many snack and protein bars offer caffeine-infused flavors. Hostess even offers a “Boost” Donut that touts as much caffeine as one cup of coffee. There are also several brands of coffee-infused cereals, chocolate, fruit bars and granola.
Is It Better To Eat or Drink Caffeine?
While there is not a lot of research investigating the effects of caffeine-infused foods, experts agree that consuming caffeine on an empty stomach will likely lead to more rapid absorption into the blood stream. There is some data to suggest that chewing gum may be absorbed even faster as it does not require any digestive processes.
In order to slow the rate of absorption of caffeine into the blood stream, be sure to eat foods that provide protein, fat and high-fiber carbohydrates that take longer to digest. Having a steady, slower rate of caffeine absorption can help dampen the severity of common side effects like stomach upset, jitters and increased heart rate.
Bottom Line: Be on the lookout for caffeine in sources other than those in typical beverages. Keep intake appropriate for your needs and tolerance, and expect food sources to enter the blood stream slower than liquids.
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