Ingredient · Updated 2026-08-17

Caffeine

1,3,7-trimethylxanthine · guarana · coffee · tea

For wakefulness and a modest rise in energy expenditure, caffeine has Grade A evidence at 40–300 mg. It is not a fat-loss drug. Stacking it with synephrine or high-dose green tea extract changes the safety picture.

Study-dose band: 40–300 mg, often 3 mg/kg for performance
Typical bottle: 50–200 mg, or hidden inside guarana + anhydrous blends

Evidence by outcome

Outcome	Grade	Note
Alertness and reaction time	A	Consistent across decades of RCTs and EFSA opinions at 75 mg and above.
Endurance performance	A	3–6 mg/kg is the sports-science range. A 70 kg adult: roughly 210–420 mg.
Weight loss without diet change	C	Thermogenesis is measurable and small. It will not outrun a calorie surplus.

Safety

EFSA considers 400 mg/day a typical upper intake for healthy adults, and 200 mg as a single dose.
Anxiety, insomnia, reflux, and raised heart rate are dose-dependent and common.
Combining caffeine with synephrine or other stimulants is a cardiovascular caution, not a stacking trick.
Pregnancy: stay inside medical advice — usually far below gym-bro doses.

Unknowns

Habituation: daily users get less of the alertness bump; studies in naïve subjects overstate the everyday effect.
Guarana-labelled products often do not state how much caffeine the guarana actually contributes.

Questions

Is 200 mg of caffeine a clinical dose?

Yes for alertness. It sits in the middle of the human-trial range. It is not a clinical dose for meaningful fat loss.

Does tea caffeine count the same as pills?

Same molecule. Absorption is a little slower with tea, and L-theanine in tea changes how the stimulation feels.

Sources

Formulas on this desk

Matcha Extreme — A disclosed 2.25 g matcha serving with spirulina, cactus fruit, and acerola. A cup of tea with extras — not a high-dose EGCG trial.
Fat Burn Active — Eleven named actives, including forskolin, EGCG, synephrine, and caffeine — with almost no milligrams on the public label.