Where Is It Coming From?

A new CDC report finds that 62.6% of US youth ages 2–19 consumed caffeine on a given day, with sources ranging from soda and coffee to bakery products, candy and flavoured milk.

Most parents associate caffeine with coffee, energy drinks, or perhaps a can of cola. But children may be getting caffeine from much less obvious sources (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Caffeine Consumption Among Youth Ages 2 – 19: United States, August 2021 – August 2023

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A new report from the US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) found that 62.6% of children and adolescents aged 2–19 consumed caffeine on a given day during August 2021–August 2023.

The average intake was 19.4 milligrams (mg) per day, but caffeine consumption increased considerably with age. Children aged 2–5 consumed an average of 5 mg per day, compared with 12 mg among those aged 6–11 and 30.7 mg among teenagers aged 12–19.
And the surprising part?

Coffee wasn’t even the biggest source for most children.

How Many Children Are Consuming Caffeine?

According to the NCHS analysis, 62.6% of US youth aged 2–19 consumed at least 1 mg of caffeine on the day they were surveyed.

The proportion varied by age:

The data came from 1,765 participants with reliable dietary recall information. The researchers defined caffeine consumption as getting at least 1 mg of caffeine from any food or beverage source during the day.

Is Coffee the Main Source of Caffeine for Children?

Not necessarily. This is one of the most interesting findings from the report. Among children aged 2–11, the largest contributors to caffeine intake were:

1. Sweet bakery products – 28.1%
2. Flavored milk – 17.4%
3. Candy – 16.3%
4. Soda – 11.7%
5. Tea – 9.6%

Among teenagers aged 12–19, the pattern changed:

1. Soda – 20.3%
2. Sweet bakery products – 19.1%
3. Tea – 14.6%
4. Coffee – 14.0%
5. Candy – 10.7%

That means parents looking only at coffee or energy drinks may miss some of the caffeine coming from other foods.

Why Can Bakery Products and Candy Contain Caffeine?

Some bakery products and candies contain cocoa or chocolate, which naturally contains caffeine.

The NCHS grouped foods into categories including sweet bakery products such as cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, doughnuts and pastries. Candy included both chocolate and non-chocolate candy.

So a child’s caffeine intake isn’t necessarily coming from sitting down with a cup of coffee. It can accumulate from several small sources throughout the day.

Does Caffeine Intake Increase as Children Get Older?

Yes. The average daily intake rose from:

• 5 mg among children aged 2–5
• 12 mg among children aged 6–11
• 30.7 mg among adolescents aged 12–19

The report notes that the 30.7 mg average among teenagers is roughly comparable to the caffeine content of a 12-ounce can of soda.

However, this is an average, not a recommended amount or a limit. Some individual children will consume considerably more or less.

Could Caffeine Affect a Child’s Sleep?

It can. Caffeine is a stimulant, and the NCHS report highlights disruption of sleep as one of the concerns associated with caffeine consumption among young people.

This can be particularly relevant for teenagers, who may already have difficulty getting enough sleep.

A child who regularly consumes caffeinated drinks or foods later in the day may therefore benefit from reviewing when and how much caffeine they are consuming.

Are Sugary Caffeinated Foods a Double Concern?

They can be. The concern isn’t necessarily caffeine alone.

The NCHS notes that many caffeinated products consumed by young people also contain high amounts of added sugar, which may contribute to concerns including obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental cavities.

For example, a child’s caffeine intake may come alongside substantial sugar intake if the source is a sweetened beverage or certain confectionery products.

This is why looking at the whole food or drink, rather than caffeine alone, matters.

Where Are Children Getting Their Caffeine?

Most caffeine consumption occurred at home. The report found that:

• 67.8% of caffeine was consumed at home
• 32.2% was consumed outside the home

And when researchers looked at where the caffeinated foods and drinks were obtained, 65.6% came from grocery stores.

Other sources included fast-food restaurants (10.0%), school cafeterias or day-care centres (7.2%) and convenience stores or vending machines (5.7%).

This suggests that parents and caregivers may play an important role in determining how frequently caffeinated foods and drinks are available to children.

Is Caffeine Safe for Children?

There is an important limitation here. The NCHS report does not establish a new safe caffeine limit for children.

In fact, it points out that existing guidelines for safe caffeine intake are largely based on adults and that safe levels have not been established through research specifically including children.

Therefore, the finding that children consumed an average of 19.4 mg per day should not be interpreted as saying that 19.4 mg is a safe or recommended amount.

The study is describing what children consumed, not recommending what they should consume.

Should Parents Check Food Labels for Caffeine?

It can be useful, particularly if a child regularly consumes several potentially caffeinated foods or drinks. Parents may want to pay attention to:

• Soda and soft drinks
• Coffee
• Tea
• Chocolate and candy
• Chocolate-flavoured foods
• Bakery products containing cocoa or chocolate
• Flavored milk and other dairy drinks
• Energy drinks and other caffeinated beverages

The important point is to consider the child’s total daily intake from all sources, rather than focusing on one drink.

What Does This Mean for Parents?

The new data does not mean that every child who consumes a small amount of caffeine is at risk.

Instead, it highlights how easy it can be for caffeine to become part of a child’s diet without parents necessarily recognising all of its sources.

For younger children especially, caffeine may come from foods that parents do not think of as caffeinated products. For teenagers, soda, tea and coffee become increasingly important sources.

Parents can therefore:

• Check labels of frequently consumed drinks and packaged foods.
• Avoid making caffeinated drinks a routine part of a young child’s diet.
• Pay attention to caffeine consumed later in the day.
• Consider the added sugar in caffeinated foods and beverages.
• Look at the child’s overall diet rather than focusing on caffeine alone.

The Bottom Line

Caffeine isn’t just a coffee problem. New US data shows that nearly two-thirds of children and teenagers consumed some caffeine on a given day, with intake increasing substantially during adolescence.

For younger children, some of the biggest sources were surprisingly sweet bakery products, flavoured milk and candy. Among teenagers, soda, bakery products, tea and coffee were the leading contributors.

The findings don’t establish a safe amount of caffeine for children. But they do offer parents an important reminder:

If you want to know how much caffeine your child is consuming, don’t look only at the coffee cup. Look at the whole day’s diet.

Reference:

1. Caffeine Consumption Among Youth Ages 2 – 19: United States, August 2021 – August 2023 – (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db566.pdf)

Source-Medindia