By: Carolyn Poirot, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Posted In: Health & Fitness
How can we tell if we are consuming too much caffeine when no seems to know how much “too much” is?
And how can we tell if we are consuming any caffeine if it’s not listed on the label?
Caffeine is the most frequently ingested pharmacologically active substance in the world, according to Consumer Reports, yet it is not mentioned along with total calories, fat and sodium content on food and beverage labels.
Linda Green, director of testing for Consumer Reports, says she was most surprised by the amounts of caffeine hidden in such products as bottled water, orange soda and ice cream. Glaceau Vitaminwater Energy Tropical Citrus, for example, has 21 mg per 8 fl. oz. and the same amount of Sunkist Orange Soda has 23 mg. Dannon Natural Flavors low-fat coffee flavored yogurt has 36 mg., Green noted.
Everyone knows that regular coffee, colas and chocolate have their fair share of caffeine, and the infamous Mountain Dew and Red Fusion have more than their share, but vitamin water?
I wasn’t surprised to learn that Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino has 83 mg., but I was surprised that manufacturers are only required to mention the fact that their products contain caffeine if they added it to the product, and even then, they need not specify the amount.
Dr. Marvin Lipman, chief medical adviser for Consumers Union, an independent, nonprofit testing and information-gathering organization, calls caffeine “the most well-known and exploited central nervous system stimulant” around, causing increased wakefulness and alertness, and at higher levels: anxiety, muscle tremors, increased heart rate and even seizures.
But he admits that experts do not agree on how much is too much, especially for children, and the United States has no government guidelines or recommendations on the subject.
Consumer Reports offers these recommendations:
– Opt for food and drinks labeled “lower-caffeine” or “caffeine-free” when the choice is available.
– Drink the smallest size of caffeinated soda _ not the increasingly popular 20-ounce bottles or fast-food “super-sized” drinks.
– Consider limiting intake of products flavored with coffee or chocolate.
– Choose milk chocolate and “chocolate-coated” over dark chocolate and solid chocolate.
– Urge the Food and Drug Administration to require food and beverage labels to specify caffeine content.
ONLINE: www.consumersunion.org
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Carolyn Poirot writes a weekly health column for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Contact her at cpoirot@star-telegram.com or (817) 390-7687.
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(c) 2003, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
