The opinion also advises on the consumption of caffeine from all dietary sources in combination with physical exercise, and on the possible risks of consuming caffeine together with alcohol, with other substances found in so-called energy drinks, and with p-synephrine, a substance increasingly found in food supplements.
The assessment was finalized following extensive input from Member States, consumer groups, industry, and other interested parties. It is the first time that the risks from caffeine from all dietary sources have been assessed at a European Union level. A number of risk assessments have been carried out previously by national and other authoritative bodies around the world, which were thoroughly analyzed by EFSA’s working group.
The EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) concluded that for adults, single doses of caffeine up to 200 mg—about 3 mg per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg bw) from all sources do not raise safety concerns for the general healthy adult population. The same amount of caffeine does not raise safety concerns when consumed less than two hours prior to intense physical exercise under normal environmental conditions. No studies are available in pregnant women or middle aged/elderly subjects undertaking intense physical exercise.
In addition, the panel determined that intakes up to 400 mg per day (about 5.7 mg/kg bw per day) consumed throughout the day do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults in the general population. However, for pregnant or lactating women, they determined that caffeine intakes from all sources should not exceed 200 mg per day.
For children, the panel concluded that the single doses of caffeine considered to be of no concern for adults (3 mg/kg bw per day) may also be applied to children, because the rate at which children and adolescents process caffeine is at least that of adults, and the studies available on the acute effects of caffeine on anxiety and behavior in children and adolescents support this level. A safety level of 3 mg/kg bw per day is also proposed for habitual caffeine consumption by children and adolescents.
The EFSA panel also concluded that it is safe to consume a single dose of caffeine up to 200 mg with a single energy drink beverage. Additionally, they concluded that alcohol consumption at doses up to about 0.65 g/kg bw would not affect the safety of single doses of caffeine up to 200 mg. Up to these levels of intake, caffeine is unlikely to mask the subjective perception of alcohol intoxication.
