According to the British Coffee Association, one in two people find it difficult to estimate how much caffeine they consume each day due to the different types of coffee and variety of cup sizes available. While many people think a standard cup of coffee holds 200-250 millilitres, for example, it actually holds 125 millilitres. Guidelines suggest that healthy adults can safely consume 400 mg of caffeine a day which is equal to 4 to 5 cups providing 125ml coffee – but if you have your coffee in a larger mug, you may need to cut back. If you have hypertension, your doctor may suggest you cut back, and if you are a pregnant women are should limit your intake to no more than 200 mg of caffeine from all sources.
How Do You Know If You’ve Reached Your Daily Limit?
Mathematician and stand-up comedian Matt Parker says, ‘I find it strange that people have a pretty good idea of what a standard alcoholic drink is, and can use that to control their alcohol intake, but very few people know what a standard coffee beverage is. With so many different ways to enjoy coffee, all with different amounts of caffeine, it’s hard to keep track of what you’re ordering and how much caffeine you’re ingesting.’ Matt helps to explain the numbers in a new video called, Are you caffeine confused? Says Matt, ‘ I hope this video clears up the confusion about how much caffeine is in various drinks and helps to explain the current guidance on how much caffeine we can safely consume through coffee a day.’
By Dr Sarah Brewer, originally published on www.mylowerbloodpressure.com. Twitter: @DrSarahB
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