How much caffeine per day? The EFSA limit, drinks compared, and what your genes have to do with it
The key points at a glance
Up to 400 mg of caffeine per day, spread throughout the day, does not raise safety concerns for healthy adults. This is the assessment of the European Food Safety Authority, paraphrased from EFSA 2015. Consumed all at once, the same assessment applies up to 200 mg. This refers to total intake from all sources.
400 mg is roughly four 200 ml cups of filter coffee. Or five espressos. Or five 250 ml energy drinks. This article converts the figure into servings, compares the caffeine content of individual drinks, and explains where different figures apply: for sleep, pregnancy, and children.
Chapter 1 gives the figures, Chapter 2 converts them into cups, and Chapter 3 brings the drinks together in a table. If you want to know what genetics has to do with the topic, skip to Chapter 7. Chapter 8 is the guide for counting for one day.
What to expect in this article
1. How much caffeine per day is considered safe?
2. What 400 mg of caffeine means in everyday life
3. Caffeine per serving: coffee, tea, energy drink, cola, chocolate
4. Red Bull and cola: the amounts, without judgment
5. Sleep, pregnancy, children: where different figures apply
6. Three misconceptions about caffeine
7. What a DNA test shows about caffeine
8. Count it for one day
Frequently asked questions
Sources
How much caffeine per day is considered safe?
Caffeine is the substance found in coffee, tea, dark chocolate, cola, and energy drinks. The question of how much of it per day is acceptable has been answered by an authority: EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, which provides scientific advice to the EU on food. In 2015, it published an assessment of caffeine and specified several amounts.
The wording matters. EFSA does not recommend that anyone drink caffeine. It only states up to what amount it sees no reason for safety concerns. This is not a seal of approval or a daily target, but an upper limit without concerns.
400 mg
Total daily intake, spread throughout the day, without safety concerns for healthy adults (paraphrased from EFSA 2015).
200 mg
As a single dose, meaning consumed all at once rather than spread throughout the day, also without safety concerns (paraphrased from EFSA 2015).
200 mg
per day from all sources during pregnancy and breastfeeding (paraphrased from EFSA 2015).
100 mg
As a single dose close to bedtime, it can affect sleep duration and sleep patterns in some adults (paraphrased from EFSA 2015).
Total intake means: everything combined
The 400 mg is not a coffee limit. It means everything consumed over the course of a day: coffee, black tea, the cola in the afternoon, the energy drink before training, the dark chocolate in the evening. Anyone who counts only the coffee is cutting it close.
For children and adolescents, EFSA specifies a different way of calculating it: 3 mg per kg of body weight per day, meaning milligrams per kilogram of body weight, an amount that increases with weight rather than being the same for everyone (in essence, according to EFSA 2015). For adults, 400 mg corresponds to around 5.7 mg per kg of body weight, while 200 mg as a single dose corresponds to around 3 mg per kg (EFSA 2015).
The most common objection at this point is: I tolerate coffee well, so this does not affect me. That may be true. Even so, something else is decisive: the number does not describe how you feel, but an amount below which the authority has expressed no safety concerns. Anyone who lies awake at night will find the note about 100 mg before bedtime in the same assessment.
What 400 mg of caffeine means in everyday life
Milligrams are not printed on any cup. The number can still be converted because EFSA gives example amounts for individual servings in the same publication. This turns an abstract limit into a number of cups.
The calculation for filter coffee: in the example, a 200 ml cup contains 90 mg (EFSA 2015). Dividing 400 mg by 90 mg per cup gives 4.4 - that is, around four cups a day. For espresso: dividing 400 mg by 80 mg per 60 ml cup gives exactly five. For energy drinks: dividing 400 mg by 80 mg per 250 ml can also gives five.
These figures are calculation aids, not measurements from your kitchen. The caffeine content of coffee varies depending on preparation, beans, and the amount of grounds. The EFSA examples provide an approximate range you can use to estimate your daily intake without weighing anything.
At a glance
400 mg corresponds to around four 200 ml cups of filter coffee - calculated as 400 divided by 90 mg per cup, according to EFSA 2015, total intake from all sources.
Or five 60 ml espressos - calculated as 400 divided by 80 mg per cup, according to EFSA 2015, total intake from all sources.
Or five 250 ml energy drinks - calculated as 400 divided by 80 mg per can, according to EFSA 2015, total intake from all sources.
Caffeine per serving: coffee, tea, energy drink, cola, chocolate
The following table compares EFSA example servings with figures from two manufacturers. The last column shows what proportion one serving represents of the daily 400 mg. Anyone who wants to take a closer look at black tea will find the context in the article on the caffeine content of black tea.
| Serving | Caffeine in mg | Source with year | Share of 400 mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso, 60 ml | 80 mg | according to EFSA 2015 | around 20 percent |
| Filter coffee, 200 ml | 90 mg | according to EFSA 2015 | around 23 percent |
| Black tea, 220 ml | 50 mg | according to EFSA 2015 | around 13 percent |
| Energy drink, 250 ml | 80 mg | according to EFSA 2015 | around 20 percent |
| Red Bull, 250-ml can | 80 mg | Red Bull GmbH, manufacturer information 2026 | around 20 percent |
| Cola, 355 ml | 40 mg | according to EFSA 2015 | around 10 percent |
| Coca-Cola, per 100 ml | 10 mg | Coca-Cola, manufacturer information 2026 | around 2.5 percent |
| Dark chocolate, 50 g | 25 mg | according to EFSA 2015 | around 6 percent |
Calculation rule for the last column: caffeine per serving divided by 400 mg, rounded to the nearest half percentage point. The amounts are example serving sizes and manufacturer information, not measurements of your drink.
Red Bull and cola: the amounts, without judgment
There is manufacturer information for two drinks. It is presented here as an amount, not an assessment.
Red Bull states that the 250-ml can contains 80 mg of caffeine and describes this as approximately the amount in a cup of coffee (manufacturer information, 2026). For the larger cans, the manufacturer states 105 mg for 330 ml, 114 mg for 355 ml, and 151 mg for 473 ml. Two large 473-ml cans therefore contain 302 mg, calculated as 151 mg times two.
In its answers to frequently asked customer questions, Coca-Cola gives 10 mg of caffeine per 100 ml (manufacturer information, 2026). For the 330-ml can, this means: 10 mg per 100 ml times 3.3 equals around 33 mg. The manufacturer itself puts the amount into perspective.
Documented source
The manufacturer writes that “a can of Coca-Cola with 10 mg of caffeine per 100 ml contains significantly less caffeine than the same amount of coffee.”
Coca-Cola, manufacturer information
Answers to frequently asked customer questions, 2026
What does this mean for your day? Just the arithmetic. A 330-ml can of Coca-Cola with around 33 mg accounts for less than one-tenth of the 400 mg, while a 250-ml can of Red Bull with 80 mg accounts for around one-fifth. None of these figures says anything about taste, sugar, or whether it makes sense.
Sleep, pregnancy, children: where different figures apply
The 400 mg figure applies to healthy adults. For three groups and one time of day, EFSA gives separate figures, and they are lower.
For sleep: Single doses of 100 mg of caffeine can affect sleep duration and sleep patterns in some adults, especially close to bedtime (paraphrased from EFSA 2015). 100 mg is slightly more than one 200 ml cup of filter coffee. Anyone who has trouble falling asleep in the evening and considers an after-dinner espresso harmless now has a verifiable figure. The article on genes, sleep, and caffeine explains how genetics and sleep are connected.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, EFSA states that 200 mg per day from all sources is an amount without safety concerns (in essence, according to EFSA 2015). The assessment says no more than that, and neither does this text.
For children and adolescents, EFSA proposes 3 mg per kg of body weight per day as a safety level for habitual consumption (in essence, according to EFSA 2015). The amount increases with weight, which is precisely why there is no calculation example here: The appropriate reference value is the individual child's weight, not an average.
Key message
It is not just the daily amount that matters, but also the time: 400 mg spread throughout the day and 100 mg shortly before bedtime are two different statements in the same assessment (in essence, according to EFSA 2015).
A practical side note: Before having blood drawn, separate rules apply to what you may drink. What is permitted there is explained in the article fasting before a blood draw.
Three misconceptions about caffeine
The EFSA example amounts dispel a few persistent assumptions. Each of the three corrections below is based on the same figures as the table.
Misconception
Espresso has more caffeine than filter coffee.
What the numbers say
Per serving, the opposite is true: In the example, a 60 ml espresso contains 80 mg, while a 200 ml cup of filter coffee contains 90 mg (according to EFSA 2015). The espresso is more concentrated, but the serving is smaller.
Misconception
Energy drinks are much stronger than coffee.
What the numbers say
A 250 ml can contains 80 mg (according to EFSA 2015), and the manufacturer of Red Bull also states 80 mg for the same can size (manufacturer information, 2026). That is less than the 90 mg in a 200 ml cup of filter coffee.
Misconception
If you tolerate coffee well, you do not have a caffeine-related sleep problem.
What the numbers say
Even single doses of 100 mg close to bedtime can affect sleep duration and sleep patterns in some adults (in essence, according to EFSA 2015). Good tolerance during the day and looking at the clock are two different questions.
What a DNA test shows about caffeine
So far, this has been about amounts that apply equally to everyone. The second question readers encounter when they come across this topic is different: Does my body have something individual to do with it? Here, mybody®x (MYBODY Lab GmbH) provides a starting point, not an answer about tolerability.
The INFINITY DNA Test includes, in the chapter “Metabolic traits,” a report titled “Caffeine metabolism.” It examines the CYP1A2 gene, meaning a section of genetic material that carries the instructions for making a protein. The same chapter also contains reports on alcohol metabolism, lactose metabolism, and gluten intolerance.
And here is the limit, frankly: The report does not predict how much coffee you can tolerate, and it does not replace the EFSA figures. It examines this one gene and serves nutrition and lifestyle counseling. It does not say anything more about your tolerance.
The EFSA limit applies to everyone. The report on your genes is a starting point, not a second limit.
Who this is suitable for: readers who already want to know what their genetic material can reveal about nutrition-related topics and who view the caffeine report as one component of that. For anyone only looking for a daily amount, the table above is sufficient.
DNA analysis from saliva
INFINITY DNA Test | including 28-day plan & recipe book
DNA analysis, meaning laboratory testing of your genetic material, from a saliva sample that you collect yourself at home. No blood, no doctor’s office. In the chapter “Metabolic traits,” the test includes the report “Caffeine metabolism” on the CYP1A2 gene, as well as reports on alcohol metabolism, lactose metabolism, and gluten intolerance. What it does not do: It does not predict tolerance, provide a diagnosis, or make predictions about disease.
Keep track for one day
The most useful exercise on this topic takes exactly one day. Write down what you drink and include the time. Then take the table from Chapter 3 and enter the milligrams for each serving.
You then compare two numbers. The daily total against 400 mg, and the last serving before bedtime against the 100 mg from the sleep guidance (in line with EFSA 2015). The time is the part that is easy to overlook - you can determine this in a single day without leaving anything out.
Returning to the beginning of this article: The question was how much caffeine per day is okay. The honest answer has two parts. A number for everyone, which you can convert into four cups. And a time of day that only your own day can answer. If you still want to know how coffee should be viewed overall, continue with the question of whether coffee is healthy.
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine is in a can of Red Bull?
A 250 ml can contains 80 mg of caffeine, which according to the manufacturer's 2026 information is about the amount in a cup of coffee. For the larger cans, the manufacturer states 105 mg for 330 ml, 114 mg for 355 ml, and 151 mg for 473 ml. Compared with the 400 mg that EFSA cited in 2015 as the daily amount for healthy adults that does not raise safety concerns, the small can accounts for around 20 percent and the 473 ml can for around 38 percent.
How much caffeine is in cola?
Coca-Cola states 10 mg of caffeine per 100 ml (manufacturer's information, 2026). For a 330 ml can, that works out to around 33 mg, calculated as 10 mg per 100 ml multiplied by 3.3. In its 2015 assessment, EFSA gives 40 mg per 355 ml of cola as an example serving. Both figures are well below a cup of filter coffee, for which EFSA gives 90 mg per 200 ml as an example.
How many cups of coffee contain 400 mg of caffeine?
Around four 200 ml cups of filter coffee, calculated as 400 mg divided by 90 mg per cup (example content according to EFSA 2015). For 60 ml espressos, it is five cups, calculated as 400 divided by 80 mg. The figure applies to total intake from all sources, including tea, cola, energy drinks, and dark chocolate. How strong a coffee actually is depends on its preparation.
Does the 400 mg limit also apply during pregnancy?
No. For pregnant and breastfeeding women, EFSA specifies a lower amount: 200 mg per day from all sources, consumed throughout the day, does not raise safety concerns (in essence, according to EFSA 2015). That is half the amount for healthy adults. The assessment provides no further information on this; questions about your individual situation should be addressed through medical or midwife-led care.
What does a DNA test say about caffeine, and what doesn't it say?
The INFINITY DNA test by mybody®x includes the report “Caffeine metabolism” in the “Metabolic traits” chapter and examines the CYP1A2 gene. The report is intended to support nutritional and lifestyle counseling. It does not predict how much coffee you can tolerate, does not provide a diagnosis, and does not replace the EFSA quantity guidelines. The test describes a probability in population groups, not a determination for you.
Next step
Count first, then test
You can work out the daily amount using a note and a table. If you want to know more about what your genetic makeup reveals about metabolic topics, you can find the relevant report in the INFINITY DNA test.
View the INFINITY DNA test Genes, sleep, and caffeineRead more
You might also be interested in this
The direct comparison of the two beverages, beyond their caffeine content.
What coffee has to do with digestion.
What the genetic makeup has to do with sleep patterns and where the limits lie.
Sources
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): Caffeine topic page on the Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine, EFSA Journal 2015;13(5):4102, DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4102 (as of 2015) - efsa.europa.eu
- Red Bull GmbH: Manufacturer's information on caffeine content, answers to frequently asked customer questions (as of 2026) - redbull.com
- Coca-Cola (Austria): Manufacturer's information on caffeine content, answers to frequently asked customer questions (as of 2026) - coca-cola.com
All information on daily amounts, single doses, pregnancy, children, and sleep, as well as the example amounts per serving, is based on [1] and reproduced in German in substance. The information on Red Bull comes from [2], and the information on Coca-Cola comes from [3]. Information on the INFINITY DNA test comes from the mybody®x product pages and was checked on 14.09.2026.
mybody®x Editorial & Expert Team
Nutrition Metabolism Genetics
This article was created by the mybody®x editorial and expert team and checked against the sources cited. Information about the people behind it can be found on the authors page.
Published on 14.09.2026 · Last updated on 14.09.2026
The content is provided for general information and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reference ranges depend on the laboratory, method, and age - the information on your report is always authoritative.
The DNA analysis is intended for nutritional and lifestyle counseling. It is not a diagnostic procedure, does not predict diseases, and does not replace a medical examination or consultation. Genetic variants describe probabilities in population groups, not fixed outcomes for individuals.
Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases.
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