How much coffee can I drink per day? I asked the experts
People have a love-hate relationship with coffee.
A 2023 report from the National Coffee Association found that 63% of Americans drink coffee every day – that’s more than any other beverage except water. That same year, coffee is said to have overtaken tea as Britain’s favorite drink; according to the British Coffee AssociationBritain consumes approximately 98 million cups of coffee per day.
On the other hand, many people seem to be uncomfortable with the amount of brew they consume. A abundance by Article detail people’s search for resign their coffee habits. And companies like it MudWtr – which makes mushroom-based drinks – have advertised themselves as ‘healthier’ alternatives to the regular cup of coffee.
“Coffee has a bit of a bad boy reputation,” says Dr Peter Hayes, professor of hepatology at the University of Edinburgh. Current concerns about coffee, he notes, often refer to the vague concept of “detox”, which is difficult to measure.
“Everyone talks in very vague terms,” he says, adding that coffee is not a poison.
What should one think of this? How much coffee is too much? Should we try to cut back?
We asked experts to analyze the effects of our morning brew.
What happens when we drink coffee?
The main active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, explains Dr. Sander Kersten, professor of molecular nutrition at Cornell University.
Anyone who has guzzled a morning mug will be familiar with the effects. As a stimulant, caffeine makes you feel more alert, says Kersten. People’s reaction times are faster, they can concentrate better and they have greater endurance. Studies have shown that caffeine consumption is linked to improved athletic performance.
According to Karsten, these effects usually occur within half an hour and last for up to two hours. “That’s probably why people tend to keep drinking coffee all day,” he says. “It won’t take long.”
What are the health benefits of drinking coffee?
Experts agree that our morning java has countless benefits. Coffee contains “hundreds, if not thousands, of components,” says Dr. Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health.
Some of these components “may have a range of beneficial effects that can improve long-term health,” he notes.
For example, certain compounds have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, Giovannucci explains. Others reduce insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for diabetes.
In a meta-analysis Of the effects of coffee consumption on health, Hayes and his colleagues found that drinking three to four cups per day was associated with lower risks of cardiovascular death, certain cancers and neurological, metabolic and liver diseases.
The liver in particular seems to thrive on coffee. One cup of coffee a day can reduce the risk of cirrhosis by 20%, and five cups a day can reduce the risk by 80%, says Hayes.
Hayes also notes that “it is important to distinguish coffee from caffeine.” For example, a drinker may even see these benefits with decaffeinated coffee. “So there is something in the coffee, and it is not the caffeine, that protects the liver,” he says. “Apart from the liver, the more the better is not true.”
What are the disadvantages of drinking coffee?
High coffee intake can increase blood pressure, says Giovannucci.
In addition, some people may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others. “The stimulating effect of coffee can cause anxiety and disrupt sleep in sensitive people,” says Giovannuci.
To mitigate the disruptive effects on sleep, experts recommend limiting caffeine intake to before 5 p.m., says Dr. Kera Nyemb-Diop, nutritionist, food researcher and nutrition coach.
But the exact time depends on your own sleep schedule and your body’s sensitivity to caffeine. Nyemb-Diop points out a study which found that consuming caffeine even six hours before bedtime can significantly disrupt sleep and shorten our total sleep time by more than an hour.
Some people, including pregnant women and those with severe cases of osteoporosis, should limit their coffee intake, says Hayes.
Is there a limit to the amount of coffee one should drink per day?
According to the American newspaper The Guardian, up to 400 mg of caffeine per day appears to be safe for most adults Mayo Clinic. One eight-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains about 95 mg of caffeine, Giovannucci says, so that’s the equivalent of about four cups of coffee.
Above these levels, Giovannucci says, people can experience nervousness and an increased heart rate – “symptoms that can be felt during an anxiety attack,” he says. Individuals with an underlying panic or anxiety disorder are at particular risk of experiencing these negative side effects.
Two to three cups a day generally seems to be the best way to get the benefits of coffee without experiencing the downsides, says Hayes. But the ideal amount is different for different people.
“It is essential to listen to your body,” says Nyemb-Diop. People have different levels of sensitivity to caffeine, she says, and some may feel jittery after one cup, while others may feel best after three cups.
Extreme caffeine intake can have much more serious consequences. According to the Food and Drug AdministrationToxic effects of caffeine, such as seizures, have been observed with rapid consumption of 1,200 mg of caffeine in one sitting. As such, the organization notes that pure and highly concentrated caffeine products, such as those found in caffeinated powders or energy drinks, “pose a significant threat to public health.”
Why is coffee intake so controversial?
This is not just a modern phenomenon. According to a report from NPRrulers in the Ottoman Empire, Germany and England tried to discourage or ban coffee drinking because of its potential to encourage political dissidents.
In the book The Devil’s Cup: Coffee, the Driving Force in History, author Stewart Allen writes that an Ottoman grand vizier, visiting a coffee house in Istanbul, “noticed that the people drinking alcohol were just getting drunk and singing and being merry, while the coffee drinkers remained sober and plotted against the government.”
Hayes acknowledges that caffeine can be addictive. “People do get used to it,” he notes, although he adds that gradually increasing intake has limited side effects, compared to a sudden significant increase, such as going from zero to six cups.
Yet he knows of no evidence that quitting coffee is beneficial.
“Coffee is a gift from nature,” he says.