Health alert: Where caffeine hides (Part two ) 5/12
(This article is adapted from the May 2012 ShopSmart magazine.)
Part one: Kicking the caffeine habit | Part two: Where caffeine hides
Consumer Reports’ nutrition pros took a look at some widely sold foods, drinks, over-the-counter drugs, and snacks to see how caffeinated they really are. Finding the amounts of caffeine lurking inside wasn’t always easy, which is why it’s tricky to monitor how much caffeine you’re taking in.
The experts looked at labels and websites and called manufacturers when information wasn’t otherwise available. What they found was eye-opening: There can be big differences among very similar products, such as cups of coffee, varieties of tea, and cans of soda. For example a Starbucks venti (20-ounce) Bold Pick of the Day contained a pulse-revving 415 milligrams of caffeine, that’s 70 percent more caffeine than the amount in the same size cup of Dunkin’ Donuts regular coffee!
Diet Coke ( 12 ounce can) had more caffeine than the amount in a same size can of Diet Pepsi (47 milligrams compared with 35 milligrams per 12-fluid-ounce can).
Other differences: A bar of dark chocolate ( 1.45 ounces) had 25 mg of caffeine, more than a comparable milk chocolate bar, and a 6-ounce container of Dannon coffee yogurt had the same caffeine content—30 milligrams—as just 4 ounces of Häagen-Dazs frozen coffee yogurt.
They also found caffeine in some places you’d never think to look, like beef jerky, chewing gum, and lip balm.
To help you avoid overdoing it, here’s a list of the caffeine content in some popular brands:
| Coffees |
| |
Starbucks Bold Venti |
20 ounces |
415 mg |
| Dunkin Donuts Large |
20 ounces |
244 mg |
| Cup of Espresso |
2 ounces |
127 mg |
| Mug of Plain Coffee |
8 ounces |
95 mg |
| Mug of Decaf |
8 ounces |
2 mg |
Teas |
| |
Snapple Lemon Tea |
16 ounces |
62 mg |
Lipton Tea
(orange pekoe cut black tea) |
1 bag |
55mg |
| Lipton Green Tea |
1 bag |
35mg |
Energy Drinks |
| |
Bawls Guarana |
16 ounces |
104 mg |
Glaceau Vitaminwater Energy
Tropical Citrus |
12 ounces |
30 mg |
| Red Bull |
8 ounces |
76 mg |
| Rockstar |
8 ounces |
80 mg |
Sodas (all 12-ounce cans) |
| |
Pepsi Max |
|
69 mg |
| Mountain Dew |
|
54 mg |
| Diet Coke |
|
46.5 mg |
| Pepsi |
|
38 mg |
| Diet Pepsi |
|
35 mg |
| Coke |
|
34 mg |
Snacks |
| |
Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch |
1/2 cup |
42 mg |
| Dannon All Natural Coffee Low Fat Yogurt |
6 ounces |
30 mg |
| Haagen-Dazs Coffee Frozen Yogurt |
1/2 cup |
30 mg |
| Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar |
1.5 bars |
37.5 mg |
| Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar |
3 bars |
36 mg |
| Jolt Gum |
2 pieces |
55 mg* |
|
*Package states that two pieces "contain about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee." A company representative told Consumer Reports that two pieces contain 55 mg.
|
Over-the-counter medicines |
| |
Dexatrim Max Daytime Appetite Control |
1 caplet |
200mg |
| Vivarin |
1 tablet |
200 mg |
| Bayer Extra Strength Back & Body Pain |
1 caplet |
32.5 mg |
Related links
Health alert: Kicking the caffeine habit. 5/12
Waking up to caffeine. 10/11
Part one: Kicking the caffeine habit | Part two: Where caffeine hides
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