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Soda Smackdown! But Report Over Caffeine Content Fizzles
That some sodas have a lot of caffeine isn’t exactly news, so how did the press juice up a new study that said, um, some sodas have a lot of caffeine?
You would think that a study aiming to show which sodas had the highest caffeine content would be easy to report, given that it’s not really much more than a list, like the list of the highest mountains in the world. Yet, in the presumably caffeinated rush to break news, the Associated Press and the Washington Post managed to twist research done by scientists at Auburn University, and published in Journal of Food Science, into an attack on citrus-flavored beverages.
“Citrus Sodas' Caffeine Content Tops Cola” – the headline in the Washington Post said over the AP story, which began:
“Looking for a quick pick-me-up to get through a long afternoon? Forget that cola. A fizzy citrus drink could provide even more of a boost. A new study shows that citrus-flavored sodas often have a higher caffeine content than the most popular colas.”
The first problem is that the story is accompanied by a chart that looks at just seven of the 133 tested sodas, and finds that Pepsi One -- a cola and not a citrus drink –is tops for caffeine at 57 milligrams (mg) per 12 ounces (oz) of product. Coming in second is the citrus soda Mountain Dew, which contains 55mg in every 12oz can. Below that are listed five more colas. Didn’t it occur to editors at the Post that the chart didn’t support the headline that citrus sodas contain more caffeine or that it might have been more useful to list the citrus drinks with the most caffeine?
It is true that the Auburn researchers found some citrus drinks with high levels of caffeine. Sundrop (which is not distributed nationally) has 65mg per 12oz. Next in line is Mountain Dew (including Diet Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Red, etc) with over 50mg in each can of every variety. Mello Yellow is also high up on the list, and it is closely followed by a variety of locally distributed citrus-flavored sodas.
However, many well-known citrus sodas such as 7-Up, Sprite and Fanta have no caffeine at all. These were not included in the Auburn study (possibly because they advertise their no-caffeine-status). Sunkist comes out at 40 mg, which is 'middle of the road': just under Cherry Pepsi, Shasta, RC and Tab, and just over most varieties of Coke.
In contrast, all the major cola players have at least 34 milligrams of caffeine for 12 ounces of product. A&W cream soda and Barq's root beer come in somewhere in between, at 29 and 22 milligrams of caffeine, respectively, in a 12-ounce drink.
But neither regular colas nor citrus sodas are the most caffeine loaded soda beverages: Vault Zero weighs in at 74mg per 12oz. Touted, as an "energy drink” by its manufacturer, the Coca Cola Company, Vault Zero just tops the 72mg of caffeine found in a can of Jolt; but oddly, Jolt was not included in the Auburn study nor was Red Bull, the energy drink containing 80mg of caffeine, while Vault Zero was.
The net result is that energy drinks have the most caffeine (both citrus and cola types). Among non-energy sodas that are widely available, Mountain Dew and Pepsi One are highest in caffeine content. Most colas as well as some citrus sodas are in the middle in terms of caffeine content. And if you want to avoid caffeine entirely, go for the citrus sodas Sprite, 7-Up or Fanta.
A list of all the sodas considered by the researchers and their caffeine content can be found here.
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