How Big is Your Buzz?

Drug makers have to label the amount of caffeine in their offerings, but food and beverage companies don't.  A sample of familiar products show how fast your dose can add up:

Caffeine Content of Food & Drugs

CAFFEINE
Stimulant: Naturally occurring in coffee, tea, cocoa, coffee-flavored yogurt and frozen desserts. Additive in soft drinks, gum, and waters.

Caffeine is the only drug that is present naturally or added to widely consumed foods (quinine is the other drug used in foods). It is mildly addictive, one possible reason that makers of soft drinks add it to their products. Many coffee drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, irritability, sleepiness, and lethargy, when they stop drinking coffee. Because caffeine increases the risk of miscarriages (and possibly birth defects) and inhibits fetal growth, it should be avoided by women who are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant. It also may make it harder to get pregnant.
Caffeine also keeps many people from sleeping, causes jitteriness, and affects calcium metabolism. The caffeine in a cup or two of coffee is harmless to most people. But if you drink more than a couple of cups of coffee or cans of caffeine-containing soda per day, experience symptoms noted above, are at risk of osteoporosis, or are pregnant, you should rethink your habit.
 
Coffees Serving Size Caffeine (mg)
Coffee, generic brewed 8 oz. 133 (range: 102-200) (16 oz. = 266)
Starbucks Brewed Coffee (Grande) 16 oz. 320
Einstein Bros. regular coffee 16 oz. 300
Dunkin' Donuts regular coffee 16 oz. 206
Starbucks Vanilla Latte (Grande) 16 oz. 150
Coffee, generic instant 8 oz. 93 (range: 27-173)
Coffee, generic decaffeinated 8 oz. 5 (range: 3-12)
Starbucks Espresso, doppio 6.5 oz. 150
Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Coffee Beverages, average 9.5 oz. 115
Starbucks Espresso, solo 1 oz. 75
Einstein Bros. Espresso 1 oz. 75
Espresso, generic 1 oz. 40 (range: 30-90)
Starbucks Espresso decaffeinated 1 oz. 4
Teas Serving Size Caffeine (mg)

Tea, brewed
8 oz.
53 (range: 40-120)
Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea Latte (Grande) 16 oz. 100
Snapple, Lemon (and diet version) 16 oz. 42
Snapple, Peach (and diet version) 16 oz. 42
Snapple, Raspberry (and diet version) 16 oz. 42
Arizona Iced Tea, black 16 oz. 32
Nestea 12 oz. 26
Snapple, Just Plain Unsweetened 16 oz. 18
Arizona Iced Tea, green 16 oz. 15
Snapple, Kiwi Teawi 16 oz. 10
Soft Drinks Serving Size Caffeine (mg)

FDA official limit for cola and pepper soft drinks
12 oz.
71
Vault 12 oz. 71 (20 oz. = 118)
Jolt Cola 12 oz. 72
Mountain Dew MDX, regular or diet 12 oz. 71 (20 oz. = 118)
Coke Blak 12 oz. 69 (20 oz. = 115)
Code Red, regular or diet 12 oz. 54 (20 oz. = 90)
Mountain Dew, regular or diet 12 oz. 54 (20 oz. = 90)
Pepsi One 12 oz. 54 (20 oz. = 90)
Mello Yellow 12 oz. 53
Diet Coke 12 oz. 47 (20 oz. = 78)
Diet Coke Lime 12 oz. 47 (20 oz. = 78)
TAB 12 oz. 46.5
Pibb Xtra, Diet Mr. Pibb, Pibb Zero 12 oz. 41 (20 oz. = 68)
Dr. Pepper 12 oz. 42 (20 oz. = 68)
Dr. Pepper diet 12 oz. 44 (20 oz. = 68)
Pepsi 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Pepsi Lime, regular or diet 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Pepsi Vanilla 12 oz. 37
Pepsi Twist 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Pepsi Wild Cherry, regular or diet 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Diet Pepsi 12 oz. 36 (20 oz. = 60)
Pepsi Twist diet 12 oz. 36 (20 oz. = 60)
Coca-Cola Classic 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Black Cherry Vanilla, regular or diet 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke C2 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Cherry, regular or diet 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Lime 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Vanilla 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Zero 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Barq's Diet Root Beer 12 oz. 23 (20 oz. = 38)
Barq's Root Beer 12 oz. 23 (20 oz. = 38)
7-Up, regular or diet 12 oz. 0
Fanta, all flavors 12 oz. 0
Fresca, all flavors 12 oz. 0
Mug Root Beer, regular or diet 12 oz. 0
Sierra Mist, regular or Free 12 oz. 0
Sprite, regular or diet 12 oz. 0
Energy Drinks Serving Size Caffeine (mg)

Spike Shooter
8.4 oz.
300
Cocaine 8.4 oz. 280
Monster Energy 16 oz. 160
Full Throttle 16 oz. 144
Rip It, all varieties 8 oz. 100
Enviga 12 oz. 100
Tab Energy 10.5 oz. 95
SoBe No Fear 8 oz. 83
Red Bull 8.3 oz. 80
Red Bull Sugarfree 8.3 oz. 80
Rockstar Energy Drink 8 oz. 80
SoBe Adrenaline Rush 8.3 oz. 79
Amp 8.4 oz. 74
Glaceau Vitamin Water Energy Citrus 20 oz. 50
SoBe Essential Energy, Berry or Orange 8 oz. 48
Product Serving Size Caffeine (mg)
Frozen Desserts Serving Size Caffeine (mg)

Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch
8 fl. oz.
84
Ben & Jerry's Coffee Flavored Ice Cream 8 fl. oz. 68
Haagen-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream 8 fl. oz. 58
Haagen-Dazs Coffee Light Ice Cream 8 fl. oz. 58
Haagen-Dazs Coffee Frozen Yogurt 8 fl. oz. 58
Haagen-Dazs Coffee & Almond Crunch Bar 8 fl. oz. 58
Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream 8 fl. oz. 50-60
Chocolates/Candies/Other Serving Size Caffeine (mg)

Jolt Caffeinated Gum
1 stick
33
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar 1.45 oz. 31
Hershey's Chocolate Bar 1.55 oz. 9
Hershey's Kisses 41g (9 pieces) 9
Hot Cocoa 8 oz. 9 (range: 3-13)
Over-The-Counter Drugs Serving Size Caffeine (mg)

NoDoz (Maximum Strength)
1 tablet
200
Vivarin 1 tablet 200
Excedrin (Extra Strength) 2 tablets 130
Anacin (Maximum Strength) 2 tablets 64

September 2007. Most information was obtained from company Web sites or direct inquiries.
Serving sizes are based on commonly eaten portions, pharmaceutical instructions, or the amount of the leading-selling container size. For example, beverages sold in
16-ounce or 20-ounce bottles were counted as one serving.

Additional information: Juliano, L.M. & Griffiths, R.R. (2005). "Caffeine." In Lowinson, J.H., Ruiz, P., Millman, R.B., Langrod, J.G. (Eds.). Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, Fourth Edition. (pp 403-421). Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

 

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