CAFFEINE - HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

Health Canada's current guidelines say a pregnant woman can consume
400 to 450 milligrams of caffeine -- about three to five cups of
coffee -- a day without jeopardizing her fetus, and that "such
moderation" is important since caffeine appears in breast milk.

The U.S. beverage industry, in contrast, says that a safe caffeine
intake for pregnant women is about 300 milligrams a day.

How much caffeine is too much? It's a health issue with no agreement,
where every position is backed by good science and reputable
scientists. It leaves consumers and government regulators caught up in
the frustrating game of "choose your study."

The stakes are high. Soft drink sales alone have hit $3 billion a year
in Canada. Canada's 26 million men, women and children drink an
average 11 billion servings of carbonated flavoured soft drinks.

John Salminen, Health Canada's acting chief of the chemical health
hazard assessment division, says the government guidelines may be too
liberal.

His recommendation for the general population: moderation. For people
who do not exceed 450 milligrams of caffeine per day, he says, there
is no real evidence for concern. For women of reproductive age and for
young children, Health Canada may introduce some amendments to the
current guidelines and to Canada's Food Guide.

The soft drink industry itself relies upon the lenient language of
Canada's Food Guide in dispensing advice on caffeine
consumption.

In a statement, the Canadian Soft Drink Association says: "According
to the Canada Food Guide, when consumed in moderation, soft drinks are
a refreshing part of a balanced diet. It is up to the caregiver to
instil a sense of balance in a child's dietary patterns. Teens and
young adults are capable of making their own informed decisions on
what beverages they consume. "

Soon young people may have more decisions on how many caffeine-laced
drinks they should imbibe. The Canadian government will decide in a
few weeks whether to lift its decades-old ban on caffeine in
carbonated citrus-based soft drinks, put there to protect Canadians
from overdosing on the neuroactive chemical.

Pepsi Canada has asked Health Canada to allow sales of the U.S.
formula of Mountain Dew with a hefty 55 milligrams of caffeine per
can. It could open the sluice way for other caffeinated U.S.
soft-drinks such as Sunkist Orange, Kick citrus, Mellow Yellow and
Surge.

The Canadian Soft Drink Association itself cautions: "In some people,
consumption of more than 100 milligrams per day can lead to postponed
or disturbed sleep.

"Scientists generally conclude that caffeine is not a substance which
is abused. Caffeine does not lead to steadily increasing doses. It is
easy to cease consumption of caffeine. Temporary effects -- such as
headaches and irritability experienced by heavy caffeine-consumers --
are easily avoided by decreasing consumption over several days."

In today's Citizen, two intense opponents on the caffeine issue square
off on specifics. In one corner, from the beverage industry side, the
Washington-based International Food Information Council Foundation.

In the opposite corner, from the public health side, the Center for
Science in the Public Interest.