How much caffeine is considered safe? In this segment, Dr. Logan Pendergrast, Ph.D., reviews the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s daily intake guidelines and explains how they differ across age groups. For most healthy adults, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day — roughly three to four cups of brewed coffee — is considered safe. However, recommended limits drop to 200 milligrams during pregnancy and zero for children and adolescents, who lack the enzymes needed to process caffeine effectively. These distinctions highlight the importance of mindful, age-appropriate consumption.
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How much caffeine should we be
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consuming? Well, according to the US
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FDA, up to 400 millig of caffeine can be
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consumed safely in adults per day. And
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what that equates to is about 3 to four
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cups of brewed coffee. Now, for those uh
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who are pregnant, that number drops to
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about 200 millig. And then for
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adolescence and children, that number
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drops to nothing. And much of the reason
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for that is that adolescence and
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children lack the proper enzymes to
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clear caffeine from their system.
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Meaning that if those children or
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adolescence consume caffeine, it stays
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in their system for a prolonged period
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of time which could have harmful
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effects.
