Recent U.S.-based evaluations of coffee and caffeine safety

1. Recent Advances in U.S.-based Research and
Evaluations on Coffee/Caffeine and Health
James R. Coughlin, PhD CFS
President, Coughlin & Associates
Aliso Viejo, California USA
jrcoughlin@cox.net
www.linkedin.com/in/jamescoughlin
“CoCoTea 2017: Fourth International
Congress on Cocoa, Coffee and Tea”
June 26, 2017

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KeyNote Session-3:
“Recent Advances in U.S.-based Research and Evaluations on Coffee/Caffeine and Health.”
[KN12]. Coughlin, J.R., Coughlin & Associates, United States
This presentation will examine recent key research findings and public health evaluations
conducted on the health aspects of coffee and caffeine in the United States since the last
conference. The most prominent news, which covers all of the consumer products discussed in our
conference, is the in-press publication of the “Systematic Review of Caffeine” sponsored by the
International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America. The need for this 2.5-year effort was
triggered by the intense focus on caffeine safety which began in the U.S. Senate in 2013, which in
turn triggered the U.S. FDA Commissioner to request the convening of a 2013 Caffeine Workshop
by the Institute of Medicine (the proceedings were published in 2014). This systematic review
reconfirmed longstanding caffeine intake recommendations: (1) < 400 mg/day in adults (about 4
cups of coffee per day); (2) < 300 mg/day in pregnant women; and (3) < 2.5 mg/kg-day in children
and adolescents. In parallel, the Committee that published the U.S. Dietary Guidelines (2015) also
presented favorable conclusions on coffee and caffeine safety. During this period, several
informative, comprehensive U.S. exposure studies were also published, covering all sources of
U.S. consumer intake of caffeine. Highlights of key recent research studies will also be discussed,
covering key health endpoints: cardiovascular health and mortality, reproductive and
developmental toxicity, behavior, bone and calcium homeostasis, and acute
toxicity/pharmacokinetics. Information will also be presented describing the newly founded UC
Davis Coffee Center. https://coffeecenter.ucdavis.edu/

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4. My 35+ Years’ Perspective on Coffee/Caffeine & Health
• Tens of thousands of published studies…
…on Rats, Mice & Humans
…on Almost Every Disease
…on “Good” & “Bad” Science
…on “Good” & “Bad” Health/Regulatory Policy & Media Coverage
…on Coffee/Caffeine’s Beneficial Health Effects (more recently)
• During my first 15-20 Years: Much Bad News! Coffee & Caffeine were
linked to many animal toxicities and human diseases, but many
studies were small and done poorly!
• But since 2000 or so…The “GOOD NEWS” is that almost all of the
earlier bad news about coffee/caffeine was WRONG! Both may
actually be GOOD FOR US!!!
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5. U.S. Congress and FDA Concerns
over Caffeine and Energy Drinks
(began in 2013)
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6. U.S. Senate Report Released April 2013
 Report by Offices of Rep.
Markey (D-MA), Sen. Durbin
(D-IL) and Sen. Blumenthal
(D-CT), April 10, 2013:
 Inconsistent
representation and
claims
 Inadequate labeling
 Unsubstantiated claims
of benefits
 Targeting children
 Effects of other
constituents unknown

7. U.S. Senate Report Released January 2015
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9. U.S. Senate Committee Hearing (July 31, 2013)
• Testimony by 3 public health professionals urging action, 3 energy
drink company top executives…and myself.
• My oral testimony summarized:
• The caffeine content in energy drinks is equivalent to that of an
equal amount of coffee, and less than that of coffeehouse coffees.
• The health outcomes of caffeine consumption have been
thoroughly studied for decades, and the best available scientific &
clinical evidence does not support the idea that caffeine should be
prohibited (and certainly not from a single source of caffeine).
• Coffee, tea and soft drinks are the primary sources of caffeine in
U.S. diets, including for children and teens. Current exposure
assessments conducted by the U.S. FDA indicate that caffeine
consumption by children and youth is not a safety concern.
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12. DGAC’s Conclusions for Coffee, Energy Drinks
and Caffeine
• Coffee review was very reassuring:
“Currently, strong evidence shows that consumption of coffee within
the moderate range (3 to 5 cups per day or up to 400 mg/d caffeine) is
not associated with increased long-term health risks among healthy
individuals. In fact, consistent evidence indicates that coffee
consumption is associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular disease in adults. Moreover, moderate evidence shows
a protective association between caffeine intake and risk of
Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, moderate coffee consumption can be
incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern, along with other healthful
behaviors.”
• Caffeine review was mostly focused on Energy Drinks: review
“Children, adolescents and women who are pregnant or considering
pregnancy should not consume very high levels of caffeine from
beverages or supplements (e.g., energy shots, fortified foods).”
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13. Caffeine Intake Studies in the U.S.
Fulgoni 2013
Various aspects of caffeine intake in America: an analysis of
NHANES Natl Acad Sci
Mitchell et al. 2014 Beverage caffeine intakes in the US Food Chem Tox
Branum et al. 2014
Trends in caffeine intake among US children and
adolescents Pediatrics
Ahluwalia et al. 2014
Caffeine intake in children in the US and 10 y trends: 2001-
2010 Am J Clin Nutr
Mitchell et al. 2015
Assessing dietary exposure to caffeine from beverages in
the U.S. population using brand-specific versus category-
specific caffeine values Food Chem Tox
Fulgoni, Keast &
Lieberman 2015
Trends in intake and sources of caffeine in the diets of US
adults: 2001-2010. Am J Clin Nutr
Ahluwalia et al. 2015
Caffeine Intake from Food and Beverage Sources and Trends
among Children and Adolescents in the United States:
Review of National Quantitative Studies from 1999 to 2011 Adv Nutr
Drewnowski et al. 2016
Sources of Caffeine in Diets of US Children and Adults:
Trends by Beverage Type and Purchase Location Nutrients
Tran et al. 2016
Trends and patterns of caffeine consumption among US
teenagers and young adults, NHANES 2003–2012 Food Chem Tox
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21. IARC ~ Coffee Monograph Meeting (No. 116, May 2016)
• IARC was not able to associate even one human organ to an increased risk of cancer
due to coffee consumption, but classified coffee as Group 3, “Not classifiable.”
• Their correct evaluation on breast, prostate and pancreas cancer should have allowed
them to give coffee a Group 4, “probably not carcinogenic to humans.”
• For liver and uterine endometrium cancers, where they correctly concluded “reduced
risk” of cancer, IARC would actually need to establish a new category of Group 5,
“probably reduces the carcinogenicity to humans.”
• With all organs showing no carcinogenic effects and two organs showing reduced
risk of cancer, why did they not conclude something more favorable than Group 3
“not classifiable”, especially when only one organ is used to justify Group 2B
“possibly carcinogenic” or worse?
• In sum, while their overall cancer conclusions by organ were scientifically valid and
correct, their final classification as Group 3 is totally unsupported by the vast
scientific evidence on coffee and cancer.
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22. Furfuryl Alcohol ~ IARC Working Group Meeting for
Monograph No. 119 (June 2017)
• IARC reviewed Furfuryl Alcohol (FFA) as one of several chemicals in food and
consumer products at its June 6-13 WG meeting; news will be out this week.
• U.S. National Toxicology Program cancer bioassay (1999) found it to be a
carcinogen via inhalation:
• Male rats – weak nasal carcinogen
• Male mice – weak kidney carcinogen
• Females – not carcinogenic
• FFA was listed as a carcinogen by California Proposition 65 in September 2016,
and food manufacturers must soon decide whether to provide cancer warnings
• COFFEE is by far…
• the #1 source of FFA in the total diet of coffee drinkers
• levels in roasted coffee reported to be ~ 100 - 500 ppm
• this is over a thousand times higher than acrylamide levels in coffee
• Many other heated foods and beverages also contain high FFA levels.
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25. Association for Science and Information on Coffee (ASIC)
• Professional society of coffee scientists founded and
based in Paris over 50 years ago
• Our key activity is a biennial 5-day Conference:
• Physiology and Health
• Chemistry and Processing
• Agronomy – Plant Genomics & Breeding
• Sustainability
• Last 7 conferences: India, France, Brazil, Indonesia, Costa
Rica, Colombia, China (November 2016)
• We welcome all coffee/caffeine scientists to join in our next
conference in the U.S. in September 2018.
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26. Thank You for Your
Attention