Beverage caffeine intake in US consumers and subpopulations of interest: estimates from the Share of Intake Panel survey

Concerns exist about the potential adverse health effects of high consumption of dietary caffeine, especially in children and pregnant women. Recommended caffeine intakes corresponding to no adverse health effects have been suggested recently for healthy adults (400–450 mg/day), for women contemplating pregnancy (300 mg/day), and for young children age 4–6 years (45 mg/day). To determine whether current caffeine intake approaches these levels, intake from major dietary sources (coffee, tea and carbonated soft drinks) were measured in 10,712 caffeinated beverage consumers in the 1999 US Share of Intake Panel, a targeted beverage survey. Mean caffeine intakes in adult caffeinated beverage consumers ranged from 106 to 170 mg/day (90th percentile intake was 227–382 mg/day). In children 1–5 and 6–9 years, mean caffeine intakes were 14 and 22 mg/day, respectively; corresponding 90th percentile intakes were 37 and 45 mg/day. Pregnant women consumed an average of 58 mg/day (157 mg/day at the 90th percentile), and women of reproductive age ingested 91–109 mg/day (229–247 mg/day at the 90th percentile). These data show that while mean caffeine intakes are within recommended safe levels, heavy consumers of certain subpopulations, including young children and women contemplating pregnancy, might benefit from dietary advice.