How much coffee is too much: According to experts, you shouldn’t drink more than these many cups in a day

From plain jane Americanos to caramel lattes with whipped cream—coffee is one beverage that can be enjoyed in several forms. However, how much coffee is too much coffee? Is there a limit to the amount of caffeine you can consume in a day? Can overshooting this level actually harm your body? Here’s everything you need to know.

How much coffee is too much: According to experts, you shouldn’t drink more than these many cups

Before we dive into the daily coffee intake recommended by a range of health experts, let’s first understand the impact—both positive and negative—that a cup of joe may have on our person.

How does coffee affect your health?

For those who can’t function without their morning cold brew, there’s some good news. According to a number of studies conducted over the years, scientists have found that coffee drinkers tend to live longer and have lower risks of Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular conditions, and certain types of cancer. A study by Harvard claims that coffee intake also reduces the risk of gallstones and kidney stones, and stimulates urine flow that can be a trial for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association in 2023 stated that “adults with a higher intake of caffeinated drinks were less frail and had significantly better physical function later in life”, The New York Post reports.

However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Like most things in life, an excess of coffee can have a negative impact on your health.

Speaking to The New York Times, Jennifer Temple, a professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the University at Buffalo said: “Having too much caffeine can cause a racing heart, jitteriness, anxiousness, nausea or trouble sleeping”. Additionally, it can cause headaches, acid reflux and in some extreme cases—tremors or vomiting. Coffee in high doses poses a health risk for those with pre-existing health conditions such as hypertension. This is because certain types of caffeine can trigger an increase in blood pressure, which, if unchecked, may cause cardiovascular problems.

To this end, coffee drinkers should limit their daily caffeine intake to a certain amount. Since this differs for various age groups, as well as for individuals with health conditions, we’re narrowing it down to some broad categories.

For the average adult

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most adults can safely consume about 400 milligrams of caffeine on a daily basis, which is equivalent to four eight-ounce cups of brewed coffee or six espresso shots, The New York Times reports.

For those with pre-existing health conditions

If you have hypertension and other blood-pressure-related health conditions, then you should try limiting your daily coffee intake to 200 milligrams a day, which is equivalent to two eight-ounce cups of brewed coffee, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic.

For pregnant women

For pregnant women, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends no more than 200 milligrams of coffee a day, which is equivalent to two eight-ounce cups of brewed coffee. Explaining this further, Tricia Psota, a dietitian with Nutrition on Demand and member of the American Society for Nutrition told NBC News that caffeine can pass on to the infant through breast milk. Additionally, caffeine consumption during pregnancy can lead to lower birth weights among newborns.

For teenagers

As for teenagers, Dr. David Buchholz, a pediatrician at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center recommends no more than 100 milligrams of coffee (equivalent to one eight-ounce cup of brewed coffee) in a day. Speaking to NBC News, he says: “If a teenager is drinking one cup of coffee and they’re OK with it, their family is OK with it, they’re not having any side effects, there’s probably no harm…But various people have different sensitivities, so if that person is complaining about an inability to sleep at night, the first thing I would do is avoid caffeine”.