Recommended Dose Range for Caffeine

Safe Daily Caffeine Intake for Different Populations

For healthy adults, the recommended safe daily caffeine intake is ≤400 mg per day, equivalent to 3-5 cups of coffee. 1, 2

Healthy adults should limit caffeine intake to ≤400 mg daily to avoid adverse cardiovascular effects, behavioral effects, reproductive/developmental effects, or bone status issues 1
Pregnant women should limit caffeine intake to ≤200-300 mg/day due to slower caffeine metabolism during pregnancy and the fact that caffeine freely crosses the placenta 1, 3
Children and adolescents should limit caffeine to <2.5 mg per kg of body weight daily, equivalent to approximately 1-2 cups of tea or 1 small cup of coffee daily 1, 3
Women of reproductive age should consume ≤300 mg caffeine per day (equivalent to 4.6 mg/kg body weight/day for a 65-kg person) 3

Coffee contains 50-300 mg per 8 oz (237 mL) serving, depending on bean type, roasting method, and brewing technique 1
Tea contains 15-50 mg per 8 oz (237 mL) serving 1
Decaffeinated coffee/tea contains ~10 mg or less per 8 oz (237 mL) 1
Carbonated soft drinks have variable caffeine content, contributing about 17% of total caffeine intake in the US population 1

For preterm infants treated with caffeine citrate, the recommended loading dose is 20 mg/kg (equivalent to 10 mg/kg of caffeine base) administered intravenously over 30 minutes 4
Maintenance dose for preterm infants is 5 mg/kg (equivalent to 2.5 mg/kg of caffeine base) administered intravenously over 10 minutes or orally every 24 hours, beginning 24 hours after the loading dose 4
Serum concentrations of caffeine may need to be monitored throughout treatment to avoid toxicity, with serious toxicity associated with serum levels greater than 50 mg/L 4

For exercise performance enhancement, caffeine has been shown to be effective in doses of 3-6 mg/kg body mass 5
Minimal effective doses for exercise performance may be as low as 2 mg/kg body mass 5
Very high doses of caffeine (e.g., 9 mg/kg) are associated with a high incidence of side effects and do not appear to provide additional ergogenic benefits 5

Excessive caffeine consumption (beyond 400 mg daily) may cause increased blood pressure in adults 1
Caffeine withdrawal symptoms can occur when regular consumption is stopped, including headache, fatigue/drowsiness, dysphoric mood/irritability, difficulty concentrating, and nausea/vomiting/muscle pain 6
Caffeine toxicity may occur after acute consumption of 10 g caffeine, an amount well above what is attainable in coffee and tea beverages 1
Patients with cardiovascular conditions should exercise caution, with the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommending generally limiting caffeine intake to <300 mg/day and avoiding use in patients with uncontrolled hypertension 1

Baseline serum levels of caffeine should be measured in infants previously treated with theophylline or born to mothers who consumed caffeine prior to delivery 4
Individuals with pre-existing conditions should exercise caution with caffeine consumption above 400 mg/day 1
Genetic variation associated with caffeine metabolism may contribute to inter-individual differences in performance benefits and adverse effects 5
Habitual caffeine intake may play a role in response variation between individuals 5