The amount of caffeine that exceeds the content of this alkaloid in 5 cups of espresso can damage your health.
At least, so today, European experts say.
Increased nervousness, sleep disorders, heart problems are all possible side effects of large doses of caffeine, which were confirmed in a recent study by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).
Safe quantity.
The agency's report says that healthy adults can use no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day without threatening the body. But pregnant women should limit themselves to 200 mg per day to protect their child.
A panel study showed that a single dose of caffeine should not exceed 200 mg. An important condition: this dose is considered safe only if it was taken at least 2 hours before intensive physical activity under normal environmental conditions (in the case of heat, the interval should be even longer).
A safe dose of caffeine for children, according to EFSA experts, is not more than 3 mg per kilogram of body weight.
Experts of the agency believe that consumers should consider not only coffee, but all other products that contain caffeine: tea, chocolate, energy drinks, etc..
EFSA strongly recommends not combining caffeine with intense physical activity. At the same time, experts did not find an increase in the negative effects of caffeine when combined with alcohol.
How much caffeine is in our products?.
Caffeine content and serving size vary by country, but EFSA uses the following standards:.
• Coffee expresso (60 ml) - 80 mg of caffeine.
• Filtered coffee cup (200 ml) - 90 mg.
• A cup of black tea (220 ml) - 50 mg.
• Standard cola can (355 ml) - 40 mg.
• Standard energy bank (250 ml) - 80 mg.
• A bar of dark chocolate (50 g) - 25 mg.
• A bar of milk chocolate (50 g) - 10 mg The level of caffeine consumption and its main sources in different countries of Europe are very different.
Today chocolate, cola and coffee in different order occupy the first three places in almost all countries. But in the UK and Ireland, the main source of caffeine is tea, which accounts for 57% and 59% of the total consumption of this alkaloid, respectively.
If you take children aged 3 to 10 years, the situation is completely different: for this category, the undisputed leader is chocolate, including in the form of cocoa beverages; followed by tea and cola.
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