Wide range of caffeine levels in coffee, FSA warns pregnant women
the wide range of caffeine levels their cup can contain, warns the
UK Food Standards Agency.
The advice from the food watchdog follows findings from a recent survey that shows out of the 400 samples tested, a cup or mug of tea could contain from 1 to 90 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, and instant coffee from 21 to 120 mg. Brewed ground coffee ranged from 15 to 254 mg. The FSA advises that pregnant women should not have more than 300 mg of caffeine a day, the equivalent of four cups of instant coffee.
Four hundred teas and coffees were collected from homes, workplaces and cafés across the UK and analysed for caffeine content. According to the FSA, people were usually able to judge the relative amount of caffeine in their tea or coffee.
"There was a good match between people perceiving their drink as strong, medium or weak and the amounts of caffeine it contained," said the FSA.
In 2001 the FSA, for the first time, put a figure on previous Department of Health guidance for pregnant women to 'moderate' their caffeine consumption, advising that they should limit their caffeine intake to less than the equivalent of four cups of coffee a day.
FSA deputy chair Suzi Leather said at the time: "In practice this doesn't mean cutting out coffee completely but is about taking a sensible precaution and not having more than the equivalent of four cups of coffee a day."
An intake of more than 300mg a day - equivalent to six cups of tea or four cans of energy drink - may be associated with miscarriage and low birth weight, according to the agency's advice that followed an independent review by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT).
Caffeine, a known stimulant of the central nervous system, occurs naturally in a range of foods such as coffee, tea and chocolate. It is also added to some soft drinks and `energy' drinks such as Red Bull.
The 300mg caffeine limit is also roughly equivalent to three average cups of brewed coffee, six average cups of tea, eight cans of regular cola drinks, four cans of so-called 'energy' drinks and 400g or eight standard 50g bars of plain chocolate. Caffeine in milk chocolate is about half that of plain chocolate.
