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Hidden Caffeine in Soft Drinks

Which has more caffeine: colas or citrus-flavored soft drinks? A new study from Auburn University shows that citrus drinks often have the most caffeine. A case in point: a 12-ounce Coke gives you 33.9 mg of caffeine compared to 54.8 mg in the same amount of Mountain Dew. Checking labels won’t necessarily tell you where the caffeine is - the FDA doesn’t require that it be listed (some manufacturers voluntarily list caffeine content on labels). The Auburn researchers analyzed the caffeine content of 56 national brand and 75 store brands of soft drinks and found that it ranges from 4.9 mg for a store brand of cola to 74 mg for Vault Zero, a citrus-flavored soda. Caffeine is added to soft drinks to enhance flavor; it doesn’t occur naturally in any ingredient as it does in tea or coffee. According to the Auburn investigators previous research has shown that only eight percent of adults can differentiate between the taste of caffeinated and caffeine-free soft drinks. Their study was published in the August 2007 issue of the Journal of Food Science. And hidden caffeine is far from the only potential downside of drinking soda.

Dr. Andrew Weil 9/07