Do you drink just one cup of coffee or tea first thing in the morning, hoping the caffeine in it will jump-start your day? Do you follow it up with a caffeinated beverage and then drink several more cups of coffee throughout the day? Does it matter?

According to scientists at the Food and Drug Administration, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, but too much caffeine may pose a danger to your health.

Depending on factors such as body weight, medications you may take, and individual sensitivity, “too much” can vary from person to person.

Caffeine can be found naturally in plants we use to make coffee, tea and chocolate and in flavourings and alternative teas popular in South America.

Many packaged foods, beverages and dietary supplements containing caffeine voluntarily provide labels with the caffeine they contain.

Consumers should take care when consuming for the first time a new packaged food containing added caffeine if the amount is not declared on the label.

Online databases provide estimates of caffeine content in beverages such as coffee and tea.

However, the amount in these brewed beverages can vary depending on how and where the coffee beans and tea leaves were grown and processed and how the beverage product is prepared.

A 12-ounce can of a caffeinated soft drink contains 30 to 40 milligrams of caffeine, an 8-ounce cup of green or black tea 30-50 milligrams, and a similar cup of coffee closer to 80 to 100 milligrams.

Caffeine in energy drinks can range 40-250 mg per 8 fluid ounces.

Decaf coffees and teas have less caffeine than their regular counterparts, but they still contain some caffeine. Decaf coffee has 2-15 milligrams in an 8-ounce cup.

Healthy adults, the FDA says, can have 400 milligrams a day — four or five cups of coffee — without dangerous, negative effects.

Source: USFDA

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