Caffeine is a natural psychostimulant with a potentially positive impact on health when
consumed in moderation and a negative impact at high dose (> 400 mg/day). So far, no study has
examined self-reported caffeine consumption in Switzerland. Our objectives were to determine 1)
the caffeine consumption per adult, 2) the main sources of caffeine intake in the Swiss diet, and 3)
the timing of caffeine consumption during the day. We used data from the 2014–2015 national
nutrition survey menuCH (adults aged 18 to 75 years old, n = 2057, weighted n = 4,627,878),
consisting of two 24-hour dietary recalls. Caffeine content in consumed foods was systematically
assessed using laboratory analyses in samples of Swiss caffeinated beverages, information from
food composition databases, and estimations from standard recipes. Mean (± SD) daily caffeine
consumption per person and percentile 95 were 191 mg/day (± 129) and 426 mg/day, respectively.
We observed differences in mean caffeine consumption across age groups (18–34 y: 140 mg/day; 50–
64 y: 228 mg/day), linguistic regions (German-speaking: 204 mg/day; French-speaking: 170 mg/day,
Italian-speaking: 136 mg/day), and smoking status (never smokers: 171 mg/day; current smokers:
228 mg/day). The three main sources of caffeine intake were 1) coffee (83% of total caffeine intake),
2) tea (9%) and 3) soft drinks (4%). Caffeine consumption was highest between 06:00 and 09:00 (29%)
and the circadian rhythm slightly differed across linguistic regions and age groups. The mean
caffeine consumption in the Swiss adult population was similar to that reported in neighbouring
countries.