Abstract
Background:
Caffeine may cause adverse effects in children, and Health Canada recommends a maximum daily caffeine intake of 2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg bw) for children under 12 years. Although coffee beverages, especially ready-to-drink (RTD) types, have become increasingly popular, a lack of data was noted regarding their contribution to caffeine exposure in children and adolescents.
Methods:
Caffeine was analyzed in a sample of 82 coffee beverages using HPLC. The selection of RTD samples was representative for Germany. The intake of coffee beverages by children and adolescents between the age groups 10 and 18 was estimated using data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study. In the study period of 2004–2010, the intake of 381 adolescents (186 male, 195 female) with a total of 1295 three-day dietary records were assessed.
Results:
The caffeine content of RTD coffee products varied between 0.03 and 1.78 g/L (average 0.38 g/L). The average coffee intake of consumers was 96, 127, and 182 g/day (boys) and 178, 142, and 176 g/day (girls) in the age groups 10–12, 13–15, and 16–18, respectively, but proportions of consumers in the total sample were low. Several exposure scenarios were evaluated leading to caffeine intakes per age group of 0.4–1.9 mg/kg bw/day (boys average), 1.1–4.9 mg/kg bw/day (boys worst case), 0.6–2.1 mg/kg bw/day (girls average), and 2.0–5.2 mg/kg bw/day (girls worst case), some of which exceeded the Health Canada maximum intake level.
Conclusions:
Coffee consumption, especially in the age group 10–12, may lead to exposures above the currently suggested threshold of concern. Improved consumer information or package labeling may be advisable.
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