[Caffeine and children]

Beverages containing caffeine are consumed by most people in most countries most days. Consumption is mostly in beverages such as coffee, tea and some soft drinks, and smaller amounts from other foods such as chocolate. Children also consume caffeine, though in smaller amounts even relative to their smaller size. Many questions have been asked about possible health effects of caffeine and have been answered by scientific research. Studies on pregnant women consuming caffeine show no effects on the fetus, infants, or on development followed up to school age. There have been many studies on children of school age. For example, it has been shown that a single dose of 3 mg/kg is without appreciable effect on a variety of behavioral and physiological functions, and even 10 mg/kg, had only minimal effects, within the normal range of differences between the children without caffeine. While newborn infants metabolize caffeine slowly, children from less than 1 year to adolescence metabolize caffeine about twice as fast as non-smoking adults. The numerous studies showing safety of caffeine in adults, combined with the direct studies in children showing they are similar and not more susceptible to caffeine than adults, gives assurance that lifelong consumption of caffeine in foods and beverages, starting in childhood, is without deleterious effects on health.