You LOVE coffee. So much so that it’s not unheard of for you to drink 6-8 cups of the dark brown elixir a day. You love it so much that you take your colleagues comments of amazement that you drink so much caffeine, yet you “seem comparatively calm,” as something of a badge of honor: just like the proverbial two-fisted drinker who never appears inebriated, you “can hold” your coffee!
You’re one robust and hardy coffee drinker!
But those 6-8 cups of coffee? For all the benefits coffee provides, the caffeine within it is a drug, a stimulant. Is it OK drink that much caffeine? Could you drink more without harm or should you drink less?
Let’s take a look at what some studies say.
- The American Dietetic Associatiion says two cups a day is good. Three? No.
The study found that not only should you say no to that third cup of coffee, if you drink two cups a day, you should then cut down on the amount of chocolate, cola softdrinks and other sources of caffeine. In addition, for each cup of joe you drink, you should also drink two full glasses of water. Caffeine is a diuretic and so drinking two glasses of water will help replenish the water your body excretes after drinking coffee. - The Mayo Clinic says up to four cups of coffee should be OK.
The Mayo Clinic reports that 400 milligrams of caffeine (or four 8-ounce cups of coffee) “appears” to be safe for “healthy adults.” Children should not drink coffee at all and adolescents, should drink only on cup a day (taking in 100 milligrams of caffeine).The clinic offers some of the possible side effects if you drink more than four cups of coffee:
- Nervousness
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Upset stomach
- Muscle tremors
- Fast heartbeat
- If you find yourself getting jittery with just one cup of coffee, the drink may be one to avoid.
The Mayo Clinic notes that many people more sensitive to caffeine’s stimulant properties than others and it advises that those who find themselves experiencing some of the side affects listed above (or even just a sense of jitteriness) may want to pass on the drink (or at least drink only decaf coffee).You possibly could try to wean yourself on to caffeine, as the Mayo Clinic adds that people who don’t drink much coffee often are the ones who feel it’s effects the most/strongest.
- If you want to drink a lot of coffee, you may want to wait until you are 55 or older.
Another Mayo Clinic study found that men who drank more than four cups of coffee a day (or more than 28 cups a week) had a 56 percent increased risk of death. Younger women had a larger than two-fold increased risk.Interestingly, this risk decreased in those older than 55: they “weren’t affected by these high amounts of coffee.”(Note: the study’s researchers noted that heavy coffee drinkers in the study also tended to be heavy smokers. Cigarette use may have contributed to the heavy coffee imbibers’ higher risk of mortality.)
Bottom line? it appears that two cups of coffee a day generally is good, three could be problematic, dependent on your caffeine sensitivity and four could cause some unpleasant side affects in many people. So the answer to “how much coffee is too much?” is: it basically depends on your caffeine tolerance.
If you haven’t yet tried our premium, organic, fair trade coffee, we hope you will contact the independent Ubean Coffee distributor near you and discover our Simply Amazing Coffee®.
56 percent increased risk of death from all causes. Younger women who were heavy coffee drinkers had a greater than two-fold increased mortality risk. A cup was defined as eight ounces of coffee.
- Insomnia
- Nervousness
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Stomach upset
- Fast heartbeat
- Muscle tremors
Discusses the different caffeine levels in different amounts of coffee (and types – instant coffee, for example, vs. espresso) and what may constitute too much caffeine. (Use this as starter for reference: https://www.talkaboutcoffee.com/how-much-coffee-is-too-much.html)
If you haven’t done so already, buy some organic, fair trade Ubean Coffee and try making these different drinks at home.