Türkçe
English
Oʻzbek
Русский
Why does a daily caffeine limit matter?
In moderation, caffeine can boost alertness and focus; however, too much can cause palpitations, restlessness, insomnia, stomach discomfort, and a temporary rise in blood pressure. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports that up to 400 mg per day of caffeine raises no safety concerns for healthy adults, and that single doses of up to 200 mg (about 3 mg/kg) are acutely safe. During pregnancy and breastfeeding the limit drops to 200 mg/day, while for children and adolescents 3 mg/kg/day is considered safe.
How is the caffeine limit determined?
This tool uses the thresholds from EFSA’s 2015 scientific opinion. Daily and single-dose limits are set by status as follows:
Pregnant / breastfeeding .. daily ≤ 200 mg
Adolescent / child ... daily ≤ 3 mg/kg
Example: for a 70 kg adult the daily limit is 400 mg (≈ 4–5 cups of filter coffee). The single-dose safe amount is around 3 × 70 = 210 mg (≈ 2 cups). For a 60 kg adolescent the daily limit drops to 3 × 60 = 180 mg.
Source: EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), “Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine”, EFSA Journal, 2015. Cup equivalents are based on average content values: filter coffee ~90 mg/cup, espresso ~63 mg/shot.
Ways to manage your caffeine intake
- Count the hidden sources: Not just coffee — tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate, and some pain relievers/medications also contain caffeine.
- Average contents: Filter coffee ~90 mg, espresso ~63 mg, instant coffee ~60 mg, black tea ~47 mg, green tea ~28 mg, cola ~34 mg, energy drink (250 ml) ~80 mg. Values vary by brand and brewing time.
- Cut it off in the afternoon: Caffeine has an average half-life of 5 hours; caffeine taken late in the day can disrupt sleep.
- Watch out for energy drinks: The combination of high caffeine and sugar is not recommended, especially for young people.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to EFSA, up to 400 mg per day of caffeine raises no safety concerns for healthy adults — that’s about 4–5 cups of filter coffee. In a single dose, up to 200 mg (≈ 3 mg/kg) is considered safe.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, EFSA recommends that daily caffeine intake not exceed 200 mg. This is the total from all sources during the day (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate).
Average values: filter/brewed coffee ~90 mg (cup), espresso ~63 mg (shot), instant coffee ~60 mg. The actual amount varies by bean, brewing time, and cup size.
For children and adolescents the safe limit is 3 mg/kg of body weight per day. For example, for a 40 kg child that is ~120 mg. Energy drinks are not recommended due to their high caffeine and sugar content.
Excess caffeine can cause palpitations, restlessness, tremors, insomnia, headaches, and stomach discomfort. At very high doses blood pressure can rise. The effect varies from person to person; some people are far more sensitive to caffeine.
Caffeine has an average half-life of 5 hours in the body (varies by person, pregnancy, and certain medications). So half of a coffee you drink in the afternoon may still be in your bloodstream in the evening; this can affect sleep.