Decaffeinated is not the same as caffeine-free and neither are free of caffeine?
@BalthasarTheRat (656)
United States
August 11, 2011 9:46am CST
This was the news I got from my doctor. I think she may have been exaggerating about the caffeine-free not being free of caffeine, but I guess what she was talking about was the regulated level of caffeine in somethings allows companies to claim something caffeine-free.
Decaffeinated is regulated in the US as having at least 97.5% removed, so that is definitely not free of the stuff. I couldn't find any regulations on "Caffeine-free" so hopefully that means what it says.
Regardless, since I have growing problems with caffeine, she has warned me to stick to juices and products that obviously have none.
Is this common knowledge that I missed? Anyone else having problems with caffeine?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@sswallace21 (1824)
• United States
12 Aug 11
Well, I actually understood the difference. Caffeine has absolutely no effect on me. I can drink multiple cups of coffee and it won't wake me up. Best Wishes!
@minomarimat (372)
• Philippines
12 Aug 11
It's true. From the term itself, "decaffeinated" means removal of the caffeine from the coffee beans during processing, and in the process some residues are still contained in the ground beans. Hence, there cannot be a 100% caffeine-free coffee; there will always be one that contains at least 0.5% caffeine in the product.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
11 Aug 11
Yes indeed...Though the companies are processing the beverages to remove the caffeine,there's still a trace remaining, at least that's the case with the Decaf stuff..The caffeine has for the most part been removed,but has not been entirely eliminated..But reading "Caffeine Free" on a label would sound quite unequivocal about what was inside the pack,IMO!
@greenline (14838)
• Canada
12 Aug 11
That is vry interesting, indeed. I am a coffee drinker, drinking four or five cups of coffee per day, starting from breakfast time. I have been drinking strong coffee for years, but now I have changed to decaffinated coffee, not to aggravate my blood pressure like strong coffees do.
@SIMPLYD (90721)
• Philippines
12 Aug 11
I already have that notion even before, that those coffees claiming to be caffeine free isn't caffeine free completely. Because if it is , then those coffee will not be as tasty and aromatic, as it is. 
