Caffeine threshold on supplements? Dutch report flags high-consumption’s adverse health effects

04 Aug 2020 --- The potential adverse health effects of a high caffeine concentration in food supplements should not be overlooked, according to a new Dutch report. The assessment shows that consuming caffeine food supplements could result in excessive dietary caffeine intake, leading to hypertension, a poor cardiovascular system and low sleep latency. As food supplements containing caffeine are often marketed for performance enhancement and weight loss, NutritionInsight discusses the safety of high caffeine consumption with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as well as the supplements industry.

“I do not think [the report findings] affect [businesses active in the caffeine supplement space] negatively since responsible consumption has beneficial effects, such as increased alertness and attention, at doses higher than 75 mg. In addition, caffeine can increase endurance performance and capacity during exercise when doses of 3 mg per kg per body weight are consumed at least one hour prior to exercise,” says Núria Jiménez Ruiz, Marketing Department at Lubrizol Life Science – Nutraceuticals Division.

With the advent of energy drinks, the side effects of caffeine were reported in the medical literature starting already in the 1980s, highlights Dr. Julia Wiebe, Director of Technical Marketing and R&D at Nektium. “While caffeine is typically safe in adults in daily doses not exceeding 200 to 400 mg, consumers can readily exceed this limit with the combination of coffee, tea, energy drinks and caffeinated supplements, for example, in pre-workout supplements.” 

EFSA opinion guides EU risk managers
The 38-page report titled Risk assessment of caffeine in food supplements 2020-0022 was publicized by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The report was instigated by parliamentary questions about a serious caffeine poisoning by a 20-year-old man in the Netherlands. 

Average concentration levels of caffeine in caffeine containing products, taken from EFSA (2015).

The report further takes the EFSA’s 2015 opinion on caffeine into consideration, which states that single doses of 100 mg (about 1.4 mg per kg body weight) of caffeine may affect sleep duration and patterns in some adults, particularly when consumed close to bedtime. Moreover, intakes up to 400 mg per day (about 5.7 mg per kg of body weight per day) consumed throughout the day do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults in the general population, except in the case of pregnant women.

However, EFSA maintains that its opinion serves as a basis for EU risk managers, who then decide whether to authorize the health claims made on foods. This includes authorizing the conditions/restrictions of use and the final claim wording. “To make such decisions, risk managers may take into account other legitimate factors, such as safety aspects or consumer understanding in addition to EFSA opinion,” EFSA explains.

How much caffeine is safe? The study’s findings
Both the single-dose intake and the total daily intake of caffeine, resulting from only the use of food supplements, could already exceed the respective reference values, independent of the other dietary intake, according to the RIVM report. 

An internet search identified 40 caffeine-containing food supplements that are available in Dutch webshops. Based on the caffeine content of these products and their recommended use, it was initially estimated that the intake of caffeine through these supplements varied between 16 mg and 500 mg for a single dose and between 16 mg and 1000 mg for a daily dose. For more than 25 percent of the 14 supplements investigated, the amount of caffeine per single dose or recommended daily dose “was not clear,” the report highlights.

Average daily intakes vary among Member States, EFSA underscoresMeanwhile, for adolescents, the study’s dietary intake estimates were 35 mg per day and 174 mg per day for the median and high intake, respectively. Additional intake via the use of food supplements could increase the total daily dietary intake of up to 575 percent for adolescents with high intake and up to 2,825 percent for adolescents with median intake. 

“In those cases, the reference value for dietary intake of 3 mg per kg body weight will be exceeded by up to a factor of approximately six for adolescents with high intake and five for adolescents with a median intake, assuming a body weight of 61 kg. For both Dutch adolescents and adults, it can be concluded that the caffeine intake via the use of food supplements with caffeine can greatly exceed the intake via the ‘normal’ diet.”

Also, this may result in intakes that largely exceed the reference value for both adolescents and adults with a median and high intake via the diet. “Hence, adverse effects cannot be excluded [from consideration],” the RIVM emphasizes in its report.

Roasting the caffeine scene?
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of – and turned off by – the high levels of caffeine content in many nutraceuticals and energy drinks, as well as sports performance and weight management products, says Dr. Nigel Gericke, Scientific Director at Nektium. 

Zynamite can be used to completely replace and dramatically reduce the amount of caffeine in products (All photo credits: Nektium).“More and more often, consumers are looking for low-caffeine or caffeine-free options. The problem can be worse in supplements because the exact amount of caffeine is not always clear and may be obscured in extracts of green tea, guarana or mate. These are natural sources of caffeine but do not have to be explicitly mentioned as caffeine sources or put as a warning on the label.”

In this space, Nektium offers Zynamite, a botanical extract that provides mental and physical cognitive advantages without any of the negative side effects associated with caffeine. “In fact, the pattern of brain activities and mental benefits from the ingredient are broader and longer-lasting than those seen in caffeine. Due to its mechanism of action, Zynamite can be used to completely replace and dramatically reduce the amount of caffeine in products,” affirms Dr. Gericke.

Indeed, the supplement sector has been quick to deliver caffeine variants to caffeine-conscious consumers. NutritionInsight spoke with industry experts last year on the rise of adaptogens, such as ginseng, as natural alternatives. In NPD developments, Prinova works with encapsulated caffeine, which delivers a time-released caffeine dose. Meanwhile, the burgeoning e-sports sector has spurred a range of caffeine-free nootropic ingredients for sustained focus and enhanced performance. 

By Anni Schleicher