How much coffee can I drink a day? You asked, so we’re spilling the beans! Coffee can absolutely fit into a healthy lifestyle, but like all good things in life, moderation is key. An appropriate daily coffee limit will vary from person to person depending on numerous factors, such as sensitivity to caffeine, age, weight, health, genetics, medications, and lifestyle habits.
Although there isn’t a hard rule on coffee consumption, there are general guidelines that you can follow. Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine can be dangerous, even for healthy adults. Always consult a healthcare professional with questions about your daily coffee intake. The information in this guide is not medical advice. With that said, here’s the scoop!
1. Follow FDA Recommendations
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that healthy adults limit their caffeine intake to 400 mg (milligrams) per day. Coffee’s caffeine content can vary depending on the coffee bean variety, coffee-growing region, roasting style, and preparation. Here’s a look at how much caffeine is in an average cup of coffee:
- 8 fl oz: 95-200 mg
- 12 fl oz: 113-247 mg
2. Listen to Your Body
Your body has ways of letting you know when you’re going overboard. If you experience the following symptoms, it might be time to reduce your daily coffee intake.
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Irritability
- Headache
- Frequent urination
- Muscle tremors
- Rapid heartbeat
- Heart palpitations
- Insomnia
It’s important to note that not everyone experiences these side effects, even when going way over their daily coffee limit, and this is not an exhaustive list.
3. Recognize Your Caffeine Sensitivity
As you determine how much coffee you can drink a day, be aware that genetics can play a role in an individual’s sensitivity to caffeine. Our livers have an enzyme, CYP1A2, that breaks down caffeine. There are “slow” and “fast” gene variants of this enzyme.
If you have the “slow” variant, you may not metabolize caffeine as efficiently, leading to inflammation and other negative effects. Therefore, if you are sensitive to caffeine, your ideal daily coffee intake would be lower than someone with the “fast” variant.
4. Consider Your Lifestyle
An appropriate daily dose can depend on your lifestyle. For example, an athlete may only want to consume caffeine occasionally to boost their performance at games. On the other hand, an office employee or student may find that a daily cup of coffee in the morning puts them on track to be productive throughout the day. Consider how active you are, and sip accordingly.
5. Stay Hydrated
It’s a common misconception that coffee easily dehydrates you. Technically, caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it can cause you to urinate more frequently, which can lead to dehydration. However, you would need to drink around 500 mg of caffeine for the diuretic effect to be significant. That said, if your daily coffee intake is in that range, you may want to reduce your consumption or increase your water intake.
6. The Brewing Method Matters
Preparation methods can affect how much coffee you can drink a day. Unfiltered coffee contains diterpenes, which are substances that can increase your body’s level of “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. So, if you use a French press or other unfiltered preparation methods, like Turkish coffee, you may want to switch to a filtered method, like drip-brewed coffee, since they contain hardly any diterpenes.
7. Try Not to Drink Out of Necessity
Millions of people worldwide use coffee to jump-start their mornings. There’s certainly nothing wrong with being a daily drinker; an exquisite cup of coffee can sometimes be the best part of the morning!
If you find that you’re constantly upping your daily coffee intake, you can try limiting it to just one cup and supplementing it with some decaffeinated coffee once in a while!
8. Don’t Overlook the Benefits
With all of these factors to consider, determining a healthy daily coffee limit can be tricky. As long as you consume in moderation, coffee can absolutely be part of a healthy diet.
In fact, among many other health benefits, studies suggest that drinking caffeine habitually (in moderation) is associated with a reduced risk of new-onset cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM). In other words, coffee can help you to live longer!
Savor Farm-to-Cup Coffees
So, how much coffee can you drink a day? In our opinion, quality takes precedence over quantity, regardless of your daily coffee intake. Sipping single-origin coffees is so much more enjoyable. Not only do many coffee connoisseurs prefer the effects of specialty coffees, but they tend to be healthier due to their higher amounts of antioxidants and lower acidity levels.
We invite you to discover your new favorite farm-to-cup, specialty coffee beans. We even have a fantastic natural, decaf coffee from Mexico you can use to slow down your caffeine intake without sacrificing flavor.
For those who enjoy the caffeine jolt, try some of our popular varieties, like Stout coffee from Brazil, Bourbon coffee from El Salvador, Del Este coffee from Nicaragua, and so much more. Shop sustainable coffees at Ebru Coffee, and elevate your daily coffee intake.
