Coffee and Tolerance

Coffee Intolerance

For many, a cup of coffee in the morning is a given. It's the perfect way to start the day. But there are individuals who experience discomfort after drinking coffee. The symptoms are often nonspecific, ranging from stomach pain and nausea to sweating, shaking, and headaches. Is this coffee intolerance? In this post, we will clarify whether we can talk about coffee intolerance in the medical sense, or if it's simply the physiological effect of caffeine on the body. It's clear that some people are sensitive to coffee, especially to its most physiologically active substance, caffeine. If your body reacts with discomfort after drinking coffee or consuming caffeine, you should first switch to decaffeinated coffee before completely eliminating coffee, to determine how strongly you react to caffeine and what dose is comfortable for you. This way, you can adopt a mindful, caffeine-aware diet without giving up your coffee enjoyment.

What is Coffee Intolerance?

In general, a reaction to coffee consumption doesn't indicate poor coffee quality, but rather an individual adverse response to the type or amount of coffee ingredients, such as caffeine.

The difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance is important in understanding the individual risks associated with consuming a food. It also helps us make sense of the phenomenon of coffee intolerance.

Food Allergy

You have a food allergy when your immune system reacts to certain components in food. Upon contact with the allergen, your immune system immediately triggers a defense reaction. Your body produces antibodies against the protein (allergen) in the food and fights the substance it deems harmful. Even tiny amounts of nuts can cause severe allergic reactions in someone with a nut allergy. The severity and nature of the allergic reaction vary and can lead to different clinical symptoms, ranging from itching, gastrointestinal and circulatory issues, to eczema flare-ups or swelling of mucous membranes (angioedema) and asthma. An immune reaction after consuming coffee is not known.

Food Intolerance

Intolerance, medically referred to as intolerance, occurs when your digestive system has a limited ability to properly digest or break down certain food components. Food intolerance is dose-dependent, meaning symptoms only appear after consuming a certain amount of the food. You can be born with a food intolerance, or it can develop over time. For example, a deficiency in the enzyme lactase in the gut can lead to an inability to break down milk sugar (lactose) fully. In this case, gut bacteria take over the breakdown, producing gases that can cause stomach pain and bloating. Food intolerance is linked to an impaired digestion of certain food components — this is not known for coffee.

Legal Classification of Intolerance or Allergy

The legislator protects you if you suffer from an allergy or intolerance by requiring food manufacturers to label the 14 major allergens in their products. You can also find allergen labeling when purchasing bulk items, such as in butcher shops or on restaurant menus. If you are unsure, it's better to ask again. It is scientifically acknowledged that 90% of food allergies and intolerances are triggered by 14 different food groups. Coffee and caffeine are not among them.

Allergens that Must Be Labeled:

• Gluten-containing cereals
• Crustaceans
• Eggs
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soy
• Milk (milk proteins, lactose)
• Nuts, tree nuts
• Celery
• Mustard
• Sesame
• Sulfur dioxide and sulfites
• Lupines
• Mollusks (shellfish and snails)

Is There Such a Thing as Coffee Intolerance?

Caffeine is the most physiologically active substance in coffee. Whether caffeine has a positive or negative effect on your body depends on the dose. If you consume too much caffeine, it can cause discomfort, nausea, nervousness, irritability, or even lead to insomnia. For some people, even one cup of coffee can be too much, while others can drink several cups without experiencing any negative effects.

However, everyone reacts to coffee in some way, as caffeine is scientifically known to be stimulating. If the dose of caffeine exceeds an individual's tolerance limit, negative physical symptoms appear. This differs from a classic food intolerance, which only affects individuals with impaired digestive functions. Several factors influence when the caffeine dose becomes noticeable and uncomfortable.

How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?

The caffeine dose you feel comfortable with is highly individual. However, it's scientifically proven that caffeine has a stimulating and wakefulness-promoting effect on everyone. There is also a known lethal dose for caffeine. The lethal concentration of caffeine in human blood is approximately 0.08 to 0.1 mg/ml, which corresponds to about 10 grams of pure caffeine (about 1 tablespoon) or 24 liters (120 cups) of caffeinated coffee in a single consumption.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued an opinion on caffeine in 2015, setting safe consumption levels for caffeine. According to this opinion, 4–5 cups of coffee per day are considered safe.

Adults

Single doses of up to 200 mg of caffeine — about 3 mg per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) — from all foods are safe for the general healthy adult population. The same caffeine amount is also safe if consumed less than two hours before intense physical activity under normal environmental conditions. For pregnant women or middle-aged and older adults who engage in intense physical activity, no studies are available.

Single doses of 100 mg (about 1.4 mg/kg body weight) may affect sleep duration and patterns in some adults, especially if consumed close to bedtime. A daily total caffeine intake of up to 400 mg (about 5.7 mg/kg body weight/day) is safe for the general healthy adult population, with the exception of pregnant women.

Pregnant/ Breastfeeding Women

A total caffeine dose of up to 200 mg/day from all foods is considered safe for the fetus.

Children and Adolescents

Caffeine doses considered safe for adults (3 mg/kg body weight) are also considered safe for children, as children and adolescents process caffeine at least as efficiently as adults. Studies on acute caffeine effects on anxiety and behavior in children and adolescents support the recommended dose. For regular caffeine consumption by children and adolescents, a safety level of 3 mg/kg body weight/day is also recommended.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is no general coffee intolerance. Everyone reacts individually to coffee and caffeine. Neither the criteria for a classic food allergy nor those for food intolerance apply to coffee. Therefore, those who don't tolerate coffee are more sensitive to its components, like caffeine. For these individuals, we recommend switching to decaffeinated coffee.