People who consume too much caffeine may experience unpleasant side effects such as nervousness, increased urination or difficulty sleeping. Most packaged caffeinated soft drinks make it easy to track your caffeine consumption because they display their caffeine levels; however it can be more difficult to determine caffeine levels in a cup of coffee, tea or fountain soda.
Approximate Amounts
The exact amount of caffeine in a cup of tea, coffee or cola depends on how the beverage was prepared. Generally speaking, the average cup of brewed, caffeinated tea contains about 53 mg of caffeine, the average cup of brewed coffee contains 133 mg of caffeine and the average cola contains between 30 to 50 mg of caffeine per serving, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest website.
Considerations
The way you prepare your beverage may influence how much caffeine is present. Increasing the length of time coffee or tea is brewed typically results in a more highly caffeinated beverage. Using large amounts of tea, coffee or cola syrup and less water also creates a beverage with higher concentrations of caffeine. Conversely, diluting the beverage by adding more water or shortening the brewing time will result in a drink with a low level of caffeine.
Comparisons
A cup of tea generally contains about half the caffeine of a cup of coffee, while a cup of cola generally contains about half the caffeine of a cup of tea, according to the Centers of Science in the Public Interest. Other caffeinated sodas may have slightly more or slightly less caffeine than colas, depending on the brand. The FDA caffeine limit for cola and pepper drinks is 71 mg per each 12 oz serving, but many sodas contain significantly less caffeine, and some are even caffeine free. Energy drinks generally contain more caffeine than colas or tea, and may contain more or less caffeine than coffee, depending on the specific brand. Most energy drinks contain between 70 to 300 mg per serving.
Misconceptions
Decaffeinated tea and coffee may contain traces of caffeine. While most decaffeinated beverages at popular restaurant chains contained less than 5 mg of caffeine, some contain as much as 32 mg of caffeine, according to a November 2007 "Consumer Reports" article. If you are trying to avoid caffeine, select plain water, milk or juice instead. Herbal teas may also be a good choice since they are naturally caffeine free, according to the University of Michigan's Integrative Medicine website.
Safety
While consuming between 200 to 300 mg of caffeine each day is generally considered safe, drinking more than 500 to 600 mg every day may cause anxiety, restlessness, gastrointestinal upset, muscle tremors, headaches, increased urination, a fast or irregular heartbeat and may cause you to become physically dependent on the caffeine, according to MayoClinic.com. Some individuals, however, may experience some of these unpleasant side effects even with lower amounts of caffeine. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about the way caffeine in your coffee, tea or cola is affecting you.
Member Comments