How much coffee should i drink per day

Love your morning cup of java? Here’s how much of it you can have.

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How many cups of coffee should I drink a day?
Is 3 cups of coffee a day too much?
Is 2 cups of coffee a day enough?

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Is there really such a thing as having too much coffee? Hate to break it to you, but yes. You really can have too much of a good thing. But when it comes to the actual limit of how much coffee you can have in a day, the number is a lot higher than you would expect. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, you can have at least four cups of coffee on a daily basis!

Sound almost impossible? Let's do the math. According to the Mayo Clinic, an average adult is allowed 400 milligrams of caffeine in a day. Given that a normal 8 oz. cup of coffee has around 100 milligrams of caffeine, you can drink up to four cups in order to stay safe. That means you can have up to 28 ounces of coffee a day!

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Surprisingly, caffeine has a lot of great health benefits for a person's body. According to one study published by Longevity & Healthspan, drinking caffeine on a regular basis can actually extend your life. Caffeine also improves your memory and mental functioning, speeds up your reaction times, and of course, decreases your fatigue. Even the AARP says drinking coffee on a regular basis can increase longevity compared to coffee abstainers!

But as we said, there is such thing as having too much caffeine. According to Healthline, drinking more than 1,000 milligrams of caffeine a day can cause negative effects on the body including increased anxiety, insomnia, and digestive issues. And while drinking caffeinated coffee has shown to increase longevity, drinking too much coffee can actually have the opposite effect.

By drinking more than four cups of coffee, the Mayo Clinic some serious side effects including frequent headaches, insomnia, nervousness, irritability, frequent urination, fast heartbeat, muscle tremors, and more. It can also wreak havoc on your sleep patterns if you're drinking coffee later in the afternoon. The Mayo Clinic points out that "even small amounts of sleep loss can add up and disturb your daytime alertness and performance."

So do yourself a favor and cap your caffeine intake at four cups of coffee a day. And while having a sugary mocha once in a blue moon is a fun treat, typically those frothy beverages are drowning in added sugars. It's best to keep your coffee black or to fill it with some milk, plant-based alternatives, or low-sugar creamers.

And if you're in need of a hot beverage in the late afternoon, you can always brew yourself a pot of green tea—which is also full of all kinds of health benefits!

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Kiersten Hickman

Kiersten Hickman is a freelance health and nutrition journalist. Read more about Kiersten

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Although early studies of coffee suggested that it could lead to health problems, recent research provides strong evidence that drinking coffee actually has a variety of health benefits.

“The overall evidence has been pretty convincing that coffee has been more healthful than harmful in terms of health outcomes,” said Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in an April 5, 2021, article in Discover. “For most people, moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy diet.”

Hu said that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and depression. It’s even possible that people who drink coffee can reduce their risk of early death.

Early research linked coffee to diseases ranging from heart disease and asthma. But Hu noted that many participants in those studies also smoked, which may have led researchers to think that coffee was responsible for the adverse effects that are now linked with cigarettes. He added that anything people consume a lot of tends to come under scrutiny. “In the past, I think a lot of people thought, ‘Oh, coffee’s so delicious, there must be something bad about coffee,’” he said. “So I think the good news is that [for] most people, coffee actually confers some health benefits.”

Certain groups should be careful about drinking coffee, according to the article. Not much is known about the effects of coffee on children, and caffeine could be harmful to pregnancies. Too much caffeine can also cause anxiety in people with panic or anxiety disorders.

For those who drink coffee, experts suggest brewing it with a paper filter, because unfiltered coffee is associated with higher rates of early death, and can contain compounds that raise levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. They also advise not going overboard with added cream or sugar.

Read the Discover article: Is Coffee Good for You or Not?

Learn more

Moderate coffee, tea consumption can be part of healthy lifestyle for most (Harvard Chan School news)

Coffee can be beneficial part of a healthy diet (Harvard Chan School news)

Coffee (The Nutrition Source)

How many cups of coffee should I drink a day?

Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks. Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in beverages varies widely, especially among energy drinks.

Is 3 cups of coffee a day too much?

So how much coffee is the optimal amount to drink to get all the benefits, but avoid the negative side effects? According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it's safe for most women to drink three to five cups of coffee a day with a maximum intake of 400 milligrams of caffeine.

Is 2 cups of coffee a day enough?

A study has found a link between coffee drinking and longer life. It also found coffee was associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease. Two to three cups per day appeared to be the sweet spot for these benefits. Experts say moderate coffee consumption can be a part of a heart-healthy lifestyle.