ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.

Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1556001

Caffeine Consumption and Exposure in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Ghadir FallataGhadir Fallata1*Omar A. AlhumaidanOmar A. Alhumaidan1Sarah AlkhuneinSarah Alkhunein1Nimah BaqadirNimah Baqadir1Rahaf Bin SheehahRahaf Bin Sheehah2Faisal BinsunaidFaisal Binsunaid1Atheer AlraqeaAtheer Alraqea1Mazen AlFayezMazen AlFayez1Nahla BawazeerNahla Bawazeer3
  • 1Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 2Public Health Authority (Saudi Arabia), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 3Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and rehabilitation sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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Introduction: Caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, with 80% worldwide consumption. Despite its popularity, limited research has evaluated caffeine exposure in Saudi Arabia (SA). Given that excessive caffeine intake can cause symptoms such as increased heart rate, headaches, and hyperactivity, understanding community-level consumption patterns is critical. This study aimed to assess caffeine consumption and exposure among Saudi consumers by assessing caffeine consumption levels in the adult population of SA. Methods: A cross-sectional, Internet-based questionnaire study was conducted between September 2021 and January 2022. The questionnaire comprised 92 questions divided into three sections: demographic characteristics, a food frequency questionnaire on caffeine-containing products, and practices related to caffeine consumption. Results: A total of 1,039 participants were included in the study. The average daily caffeine exposure among Saudi adults was 218 mg/day. The highest caffeine exposure was from hot coffee (64.8 mL/day), soft drinks (41.9 mL/day), iced coffee (35.7 mL/day), tea (26.3 mL/day), energy drinks (16.5 mL/day), and chocolate (3.2 mg/day). This level of consumption falls within the recommended safe limit for healthy adults, which is 400 mg/day. Discussion: Caffeine consumption among Saudi individuals largely falls within the recommended safe range. Further research should investigate the long-term health effects of caffeine, emphasizing the need for public health initiatives to encourage recommended consumption.

Keywords: Caffeine, Coffee, Tea, Saudi coffee, Soft drinks, Caffeine consumption, Caffeine exposure, Caffeine intake levels in Saudi Arabia

Received: 06 Jan 2025; Accepted: 18 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Fallata, A. Alhumaidan, Alkhunein, Baqadir, Bin Sheehah, Binsunaid, Alraqea, AlFayez and Bawazeer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Ghadir Fallata, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material