Coffee safety warning
Drink no more than four cups per day – two if you’re pregnant, say experts
Drinking more than four mugs of instant coffee a day could be dangerous – and even healthy adults are at risk, experts said yesterday.
In its first guidelines on caffeine consumption, the EU’s food safety watchdog has advised a daily limit of 400mg.
the average mug of instant coffee contains around 100mg of caffeine.
Women should stop at 200mg a day when pregnant, to protect the health of their unborn babies. Children should also stick to this amount.
the european Food safety Agency warned those who break the limits run the risk of a host of health problems, from anxiety and sleeplessness to heart rhythm disturbances and heart failure. Its comprehensive review of literature on the subject also showed links between high caffeine intake in pregnancy and having a baby that is underweight. the NHs warns that too much caffeine can cause a miscarriage. there are also links to birth defects.
With the average espresso containing 80mg, the 400mg limit for adults equates to five espressos.
However, some large coffees from High street chains contain several shots of espresso – meaning someone could breach the daily limit after just a couple of cups. And a large, filter coffee from starbucks, contains 400mg in a single cup.
As a result, health-conscious men and women may be unwittingly putting their health at risk, just by having a coffee or two during the working day.
However, with coffee far from the only food or drink to contain caf- feine, eFsA also warned that many people may unintentionally be going over the safe limit.
the average cup of tea contains 50mg, while red Bull has 80mg per can. A small bar of plain dark chocolate has up to 50mg of caffeine, while milk chocolate has around half that.
Coke, a drink often perceived as being high in caffeine, has just 30mg per can. Caffeine is also often added to painkiller pills to given them an extra kick.
emilie Combet, a lecturer in human nutrition at Glasgow Uni- versity, said: ‘ Caffeine is in many things. It’s in some chocolate and some energy drinks and some drugs, so on occasion, some people might go over the l i mit quite innocently.’
she added that caffeine levels in coffees in cafes vary widely, making it hard for customers to know what they are drinking.
A recent Glasgow University analysis of espressos from 20 coffee shops found huge variations in the amount of caffeine, with the strongest having six times as much as the lowest.
dr Combet said: ‘ the biggest difficulty for people is choosing their coffee because when you order it, you don’t know what is coming in the cup.’
Britain doesn’t have a guideline amount for healthy adults. But, like the eU, it does advise that pregnant women limit themselves to 200mg of caffeine a day.
‘Anxiety and heart failure’