Coffee shop caffeine levels ‘vary widely’
High street coffee shops could pose a risk to pregnant women because of big variations in the amount of caffeine in each cup, research suggests.
Analysis of espresso coffee from 20 shops found that one was six times stronger than others.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says too much caffeine can result in miscarriage, or a low birth weight.
Researchers from Glasgow University tested caffeine levels in espressos bought from high street coffee shops.
The FSA currently advises pregnant women to consume no more than 200mg of caffeine a day, based on an assumption that an espresso contains around 50mg of caffeine.
The work was led by Alan Crozier, senior research fellow in the faculty of medicine.
“The analysis that we did showed the amount of caffeine ranged from 50mg per cup from Starbucks, up to over 300mg per cup from another coffee house, Patisserie Francoise,” he said. “I was very surprised by this.”
Starbucks The caffeine in Starbucks coffee was found to be six times weaker than other shops
Drinking just one of the strongest cups of coffee would more than exceed the “safe” level for pregnant women.
“If you go to different coffee houses you can tell that some are much stronger than others,” Mr Crozier said.
“The problem comes with people who should have a limited caffeine intake.
