Sources of Caffeine
About 90% of American adults report regular use of caffeine,24 and daily consumption averages 200-300 mg (~227 mg).17,24,25 In 1987, about 96% of total caffeine intake was attributed to caffeinated beverages, including coffee, tea, and soft drinks.26 The single largest source was coffee (80%), followed by tea (10%) and soft drinks (6%), while medications accounted for only 4% of the total.26 More recent research confirms that the top three sources of caffeine in adults remain coffee (70%), soda (16%), and tea (12%), and that they still account for the vast majority of total caffeine consumption (98%).24 However, the newer data indicate that patterns of consumption have changed; a decrease in the consumption of coffee has been offset by an increase in the consumption of caffeine-containing soft drinks.
While total daily caffeine intake appears to have decreased in the past two decades, the addition of caffeine to a range of products, including energy drinks (eg, Red Bull™), bottled water (eg, Water Joe™), chewing gum (eg, Jolt™), candy bars (eg, Snickers Charged™), potato chips (eg, NRG Phoenix Fury and NRG Overload), and oatmeal (eg, Morning Spark Oatmeal)27 has made more Americans, at all ages, regular consumers of caffeine.24 Awareness of caffeine intake from all sources is particularly important for patients with migraine, as caffeine overuse has been identified as a modifiable risk factor for the clinical transformation of acute migraine with a low frequency of attacks to chronic migraine. 28,29 Table 1 lists some common sources of caffeine and their estimated caffeine content.30-34
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