Caffeine is a stimulant and thermogenic, which is used as a popular means of burning fat and providing more energy. Caffeine is one of the most popular dietary supplements and is used in a number of pre-training products and thermogenic fat-burners.
Caffeine itself is a natural alkaloid naturally found in coffee, cocoa, yerba mate, guarana and green tea.
 
Many of us consume caffeine in one form or another. The big question, however, is what is the safe dose of this stimulant?
 
The answer is not so simple and depends on a number of factors.



Quantities of caffeine in different sources?
In natural sources (especially in tea), it is difficult to determine the exact caffeine dose, but average quantities are established.

With coffee, the strongest source is boiled coffee with an average of 163 mg of caffeine in a glass. Following are the different types of coffees of the major fast service chains (Starbucks, Dunkin 'Donut, etc.), where the dose varies between 110 mg and 150 mg. Approximately 77 milligrams of caffeine is contained in the short-lasting espresso and approximately 53 milligrams in a standard dose of soluble coffee.



Black tea contains about 42 mg of caffeine and the green tea is about 25 mg. In a cup of decaffeinated coffee there is about 6 mg, and in a glass of hot chocolate about 5 mg.

In popular carbonated beverages, synthetic caffeine is used, with doses ranging from:

• Monster Energy 500 ml - 145 mg;
• Red Bull 250 ml - 76 mg;
• Diet car 330 ml - 46 mg;
• Car Zero 330 ml - 36 mg;
• Ordinary car 330 ml - 34 mg.

Caffeine also contains a number of nutritional supplements. These are predominantly thermogenic fossil fuels and nitrogen bubbles.



When does the caffeine exceed the acceptable limits?
A safe dose of caffeine is a relative concept and depends mostly on the individual's health.
In some people, side effects occur after several cups of caffeine during the day, while others are sensitive to just one cup. The side effects are high blood pressure, sleeping problems, headaches, and irritability. Interestingly, absolute same symptoms also occur in people who stop taking caffeine. Additional symptoms are somnolence, fatigue, lack of concentration, yawning, lack of motivation and muscle fatigue.



The dose of caffeine is strictly individual and therefore we will look at several categories of individuals.

Healthy adults

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the American National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the Health Canada organization have the same opinion and set a daily safe caffeine dose of 400 mg.



This dose is recommended and would not cause health problems in healthy individuals. It is possible that the tolerance of some people is higher and the upper limit of caffeine too.
EFSA also provides recommended doses at once. 200 mg of caffeine is a tolerable dose if it follows sports activity within 1-2 hours of taking. No more than 100 mg of caffeine is recommended before sleep. It should not be forgotten that half-life of caffeine in the human body averages 5 hours.



Pregnant and lactating women
EFSA recommends that pregnant and nursing women limit daily intake of caffeine to 200 mg. Some scientific studies raise the limit to 300 mg per day but recommend lowering intakes due to more frequent nausea.
It is logical and reasonable for pregnant women to reduce caffeine intake, especially in the last weeks of pregnancy.



First of all, research provides too little evidence of the effect of caffeine on pregnant women. In the absence of conclusive evidence of caffeine safety and potential harm, the recommendation is to reduce caffeine consumption during pregnancy and to stop within the last 4 weeks.



Secondly, pregnant women metabolize caffeine significantly more slowly. While the average half-life of caffeine in women is 3-4 hours, pregnancy is over 10 hours in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy.

Children

At this stage, there is no evidence of how caffeine affects young children and adolescents, so the recommendations of most public organizations are to maintain low doses.
While the European Agency recommends that a daily dose of 3.5 mg/kg bodyweight be observed, the recommendation in Canada is 2.5 mg/kg body weight, with the recommended daily doses being:

• 4-6 years of age - 45 mg;
• 7-9 years of age - 62.5 mg;
• 10-12 years of age - 85 mg.



A number of healthcare organizations recommend children under 14 to avoid energy drinks, especially fizzy drinks because it is an easy way to get high doses of caffeine. In 1 liter of Coca-Cola contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine.

For people with cardiovascular disease
Caffeine has been shown to increase blood pressure up to 3-4 hours after dosing. For healthy individuals, it is not a problem to take 400 mg of caffeine daily without causing problems with blood pressure and heart health.



For people with high blood pressure and a history of heart disease, the right dose of caffeine and in general caffeine intake is not recommended because of the uncertainties surrounding its real health effects. There may be serious side effects, but moderate consumption may also be acceptable and harmless. In this case, the individual approach to dose and intake is the most appropriate, as well as passing through prophylactic examinations with a supervising physician



What happens when overdosing with caffeine?
It is believed that the toxic dose of caffeine is 15 mg/kg bodyweight and the lethal is 150 mg/kg body weight. This means that for a person weighing 68 kg, the toxic dose is 1000 mg of caffeine and the lethal - 10 years.

Poisoning or death from an overdose of caffeine are rare, but they happen, especially with caffeine powder. Therefore, we recommend that consumers who consume synthetic caffeine as a dietary supplement should pay attention to the dosage.

In conclusion



The maximum daily dose recommendations are based on long-term caffeine safety. In a number of studies, seamless intake of caffeine at a dose of over 800 mg per day but in the short term was observed.
 
Heart health is a delicate topic, and in most cases, the effects accumulate over the years. Therefore, we recommend that you do not overfeed with caffeine, even if your health condition is excellent.