Caffeine - How Is It Taken?

How Is It Taken?

The vast majority of caffeine is ingested in a beverage such as coffee, tea, or soft drinks. Beyond beverages, caffeine is also consumed in snacks such as chocolate candy bars. Pain relievers, including aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, may contain some caffeine. The stimulant effects of the caffeine allow the pain relievers to act more quickly.

Caffeine is also found in nonprescription aids and herbal preparations for alertness and dieting. Pure caffeine in tablet form is available over-the-counter in substances such as No-Doz and Vivarin. The caffeine in these tablets has the same effect as the caffeine found in coffee or tea—it is just more concentrated. Many abused illegal drugs contain caffeine, either for added effect or as a "filler," used in powder form to cut the strength of street drugs.

Crazy for Coffee

How much do you know about coffee? Ruth Morris' article "America's Bottomless Cup" in Life magazine and the Web site www.coffeekids.org offer many interesting facts about growing, producing, and drinking coffee. For example, did you know that:

  • It takes 4,000 coffee beans to produce one pound of coffee; that is more beans than the average coffee tree yields in a year.
  • Americans consume 3 billion pounds of coffee each year.
  • Worldwide coffee consumption is estimated at 11 billion pounds per year.
  • The average coffee farm in the poverty-stricken nation of Colombia makes about $1,900 each year.
  • The female Colombian farm workers who pick out flawed coffee beans—by hand—from enormous troughs of beans make only $5 per day.
  • In the coffee-growing regions of Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, most coffee farmers earn just a few pennies per pound for their harvest.

CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta told interviewer Daryn Kagan that people need to be more informed about the "hidden" caffeine content in the foods they eat. "Half a cup of … coffee ice cream from Häagen-Dazs has actually more caffeine than a Coke," remarked Gupta. "Most people are surprised by that." Another example cited by Gupta involved carbonated soft drinks. Ounce for ounce, Sunkist orange soda—a beverage not often thought of as a high source of caffeine—has nearly the same caffeine content as a Coke.

This Coca-Cola ad from the nineteenth century promotes the beverage, which contained caffeine, as being able to help the tired brain and relieve exhaustion. Early Coca-Cola products were also said to contain small amounts of cocaine. Bettmann/
This Coca-Cola ad from the nineteenth century promotes the beverage, which contained caffeine, as being able to help the tired brain and relieve exhaustion. Early Coca-Cola products were also said to contain small amounts of cocaine. © Bettmann/Corbis.

Many people think that dark-colored soft drinks contain caffeine and the light-colored ones do not. However, many popular root beers contain no caffeine while the light-colored Mountain Dew contains more caffeine than a regular Coke. Some manufacturers now offer their popular products in caffeine-free versions as well. If in doubt, check the ingredients on the can or bottle. It will note if the beverage contains caffeine or not.

MSNBC.com reported in 2004 that "in North America, 80 percent to 90 percent of adults drink caffeine regularly." Each day in the United States, the average person consumes about 280 milligrams of caffeine, which equals roughly a mug or two of coffee or three to five cans of soft drinks.

How Much Caffeine Is in That?

Ever wonder how much caffeine is in a certain product? Various Web sites list the caffeine content of many of the most popular products containing caffeine. Among those Web sites are: American Beverage Association <http://www.ameribev.org/health/caffeinecontent.asp> and Center for Science in the Public Interest <http://cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm>. Here are some examples of popular products and their caffeine content:

Soft Drinks

  • 12 oz. A&W Root Beer: 0 mg
  • 12 oz. Coca-Cola: 34 mg
  • 12 oz. Diet Coke: 45 mg
  • 12 oz. Mountain Dew: 55 mg
  • 12 oz. Sunkist Orange: 42 mg

Energy Drinks

  • 12 oz. Red Bull: 115 mg

Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate

  • 8 oz. coffee (brewed): 80-135 mg
  • 8 oz. decaffeinated coffee (brewed): 3-5 mg
  • 8 oz. tea (brewed): 40-60 mg
  • 8 oz. iced tea: 15-40 mg (depending on brand)
  • 8 oz. hot chocolate: 5-14 mg

Candy Bars

  • 1.5 oz. milk chocolate bar: 10 mg
  • 1.5 oz. dark chocolate bar: 31 mg

Over-the-Counter Pills

  • 1 tablet No-Doz: 100 mg
  • 1 tablet Excedrin: 65 mg
  • 1 tablet Midol: 32.4 mg