Most of us enjoy a good cuppa and many of us use it as the morning kick-start. Here are a few things you should be aware of though, particularly if you are trying to cut down.
- At 400mg/day – Caffeine toxicity in healthy
adults
(remember 1 cup of instant coffee contains 40-80mg, a large cup of strong coffee may contain 180mg, tea contains 20-60mg) - Caffeine withdrawal symptoms start 12-24 hours
after cessation and peak after 20-48hrs.
Symptoms include: headaches, fatigue, weakness, drowsiness, impaired concentration, anxiety, irritability, increased muscle tension. - From nutrition australia website – energy drinks have between 160-300mg of caffeine per 500ml serve, plus between 26-83g (7 teaspoons-21 teaspoons) of sugar
When you are tucking into that next caffeinated beverage, consider what you are actually having. Caffeine toxicity in healthy adults has been, on average, shown to be 400mg. In case that didn’t sink in, To give some perspective to this, a cup of instant coffee contains 40-80mg, a large freshly brewed cup can contain 180mg, tea contains 20-60mg.
Then there are energy drinks. Energy drinks contain between 160-300mg of caffeine per 500ml serving, plus a whooping 26-83g of sugar. This equates to between 7 and 21 teaspoons of sugar per can.