What's the minimum recommended age for drinking a coffee? [closed]

Question

Is there any minimum recommended age for drinking a coffee?

In example for ground or instant (in case there is any difference)? I would assume there are no limits for a decaf coffee?

Answer 1

In short: there is no minimum recommended age for drinking coffee, but on the other hand it's not good idea to have kids drink coffee all day long.

It is discussed in depth in the parenting site of Stack Exchange and the top answer thee states:

The bottom line is that caffeine is generally safe, but it does have significant effects in children as well as adults. Note that children are much more likely to encounter caffeine in a soft drink than in tea or coffee; that's what you have to worry about, I think, not Starbucks. A cup of green tea contains ~15-25 mg of caffeine, which is around the limit where there were no noteworthy affects for a 50 kg child, so if they want to hang out at a cafe, they don't even have to limit themselves to strictly caffeine-free options

Personally I'm not going to allow my children to have coffee before they are in highschool - that's the age where they can start to decide on things affecting their health.

Answer 2

I am not a doctor.

From a medical standpoint, pure caffeine (citrate) is often used in newborns with breathing problems in controlled doses (5 mg/kg/day). So, I wouldn't say it's dangerous for otherwise healthy small children in properly sized doses. However, it generally isn't used long term and is used as a bridging therapy until a newborn's lungs develop fully.

That being said, I have small children of my own and don't plan to help them develop an addiction to a CNS stimulant until they are old enough to support that socially acceptable addiction on their own paychecks.

Answer 3

Quote from Health Canada:

Recommended Maximum Caffeine Intake Levels for Children and Women of Childbearing Age

Children
4 - 6 years 45 mg/day
7 - 9 years 62.5 mg/day
10 - 12 years 85 mg/day

Women who are planning to become pregnant, pregnant women and breast feeding mothers
300 mg/day

The following is provided to assist consumers in understanding the contribution of various foods to caffeine intakes.

At Daily Mail we can read:

World Health Organisation has warned children and teenagers are at risk of 'potentially harmful adverse and developmental effects'

Sales of caffeine and sugar-packed energy drinks should be restricted as they ‘pose a danger’ to children and young people, a study has suggested.

Lead author Dr Joao Breda called for restrictions to be put in place to limit the sale of energy drinks to children.

Large amounts of caffeine can cause heart palpitations, fits and even death, as well as raising the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Related:

• (article) Sales of sugar and caffeine laden energy drinks should be restricted as they 'pose a danger' to children at Daily Mail
• What are the side effects of drinking too much coffee?
• How long should I wait before I permit my children to have access to caffeine? at parenting SE
• Effects of Caffeine on Human Health, P. Nawrot, S. Jordan, J. Eastwood, J. Rotstein, A. Hugenholtz and M. Feeley, Food Additives and Contaminants, 2003, Vol. 20, No. 1, pg. 1-30.

Answer 4

Same with Chris in AK, I am not a medical doctor with a Ph.D or any degree.

As said in this website, USA has not made any guidelines but recommends putting caffeine to a minimum in younger kids. Drinking too much coffee or at the wrong time can harm children in multiple ways. Canadian guidelines though, say that:

Canadian guidelines recommend that preschoolers get no more than 45 milligrams of caffeine a day. That's equivalent to the average amount of caffeine found in a single 12-ounce (355-milliliter) can of soda.

Yep, preschoolers might as well be drinking a 12 ounce Cola-Cola every day. Side effects in both kids and adults can be pretty annoying. One way it affects young children maybe:

• Lack of sleep

• Unable to learn at school properly

• Sleepiness

Adults... Well you know what some of your side effects are. You can say it can you get you drunk, except you get more active then sleepy. Drinking coffee or high-caffeine drinks are said "to help with studying" but in a Houston news study, most college students can barely remember what they learned during their "caffeine overload". But, it is all your decision. If you think it's okay , do it and vice versa. I hope this helps you!