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Most healthy adults can safely consume up to 300 milligrams of caffeine per day; pregnant women, less than 200 milligrams; and children, no more than 45 to 85 milligrams, depending on age. But finding out how much caffeine is in certain foods isn't always easy. We looked at 27 beverages, snacks, and over-the-counter drugs that contain caffeine and discovered that it can show up in weird places like beef jerky and chewing gum.
Manufacturers don't have to disclose the amount of caffeine in a product, just its presence, and only if the caffeine is added, as in colas or energy drinks. Caffeine that occurs naturally in chocolate or botanical ingredients such as guarana doesn't have to be mentioned. We looked at the caffeine listed on the labels but to determine the amount we sometimes had to call the company's customer service department or visit its website. Here are some of the surprising things we discovered.
Diet Coke has more caffeine than Diet Pepsi (47 milligrams compared with 35 milligrams per 12-fluid-ounce serving), and a 20 fluid-ounce Venti Starbucks Bold Pick of the Day has 70 percent more caffeine than the same-size cup of Dunkin' Donuts regular coffee. A 16-ounce can of Bawls Guarana soda has 104 milligrams of caffeine.
Two pieces of Jolt Gum could indeed impart a jolt with 55 mg of caffeine. And a ½ cup serving of Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch has 42 mg. All the over-the-counter drugs we looked at listed caffeine amounts but some were still startling: 200 mg of caffeine for one caplet of Dexatrim Max Daytime Appetite Control as well as for one tablet of NoDoz Maximum Strength. Read Waking up to caffeine to see where else caffeine hides.
—Mary H.J. Farrell
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