Coffee and Caffeine

– How Much Caffeine is Okay for You? –

For many of us, coffee is more than just a drink.

It’s a multi-diverse culture, an entire economy, an art in itself, an interesting science. And, it’s first and foremost a passion.

Indeed, coffee is the second most popular beverage in the world.

We all appreciate its great taste in all of its varieties. On top, the empowering liquid comes with a lot of health benefits.

For example, coffee contains a huge range of bioactive compounds. And, for many people the beverage is the single largest source of antioxidants.

Several studies also show that coffee helps lowering risks of various health conditions. These include type 2 diabetes, neurological disorders, liver diseases and more.

In addition, some people even say that coffee makes them happier and live longer.

Of course, many coffee lovers also very much appreciate the energizing boost the beverage can give us. One of coffee’s main ingredients, namely caffeine, is responsible for this.

The stimulant helps us getting through our daily lives more efficiently.

However, some people may wonder how much caffeine is actually okay to consume. How much caffeine should you drink?

Until when is coffee safe to drink? And, if I may consume too much caffeine excessively, what are the symptoms and overall risks?

Here is everything you need to know about coffee and caffeine.

We will explain how much coffee and caffeine is generally safe to drink.

Our World of Caffeine

So, how much caffeine is exactly in a cup of coffee?

First of all and as already mentioned, caffeine is an active ingredient in coffee. Indeed, people consume this psychoactive substance the most in the world.

Overall, the caffeine’s content can vary greatly from cup to cup. Typically, it ranges from 50 to even over 400 mg per cup.

Usually and when you are brewing your own cup of coffee at home, it provides you with around 50 mg.

However, a regular 15-ounce (450 ml) Starbucks grande cup can come with over 300 mg per serving.

As a result, you can see, there can be some major differences in terms of caffeine amount. But, there is also a general rule.

Commonly, you can assume that the average 8-ounce (240 ml) cup of coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine.

In addition, the majority of health experts and studies suggest that 400 mg of caffeine per day is safe for most of us adults. 400 mg equals around 4 regular cups (945 ml) of coffee.

However, not every person just drinks 4 cups a day. There are many coffee lovers, who drink a lot more. And, they still don’t experience any health issues such as overuse risks or side effects.

Furthermore, it is important to know that our daily life surrounds us with many other sources of caffeine. These most popular ones are tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate and also certain medications.

Symptoms of Caffeine Overuse

Coffee and caffeine generally have many great benefits for us. But, there are also potential and quite numerous short-term symptoms, if we consume caffeine excessively.

Typically, you may experience the following mental and physical symptoms, if you are consuming too much caffeine over a short period of time.

• Anxiety
• Dizziness
• Fast heartbeat
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Tremors
• Upset stomach

It is fair to say that you may react sensitive to caffeine, if you encounter any such symptoms after drinking coffee.

In consequence, you should probably consider reducing your overall caffeine intake. Some people may even want to consider avoiding caffeine at all.

Decaf coffee may be a good alternative for any concerned people then.

Furthermore, yes, it is possible to die from a caffeine overdose in theory. However and in practice, this is actually near to impossible from coffee and caffeine in it alone.

You would have to at least drink around 100 regular cups of coffee (23.7 liters) in a single day.

Nonetheless, there are a few very rare cases of people seriously falling ill or even dying after taking caffeine pills or supplements. These are much easier to eat in high volumes than drinking endless liters of coffee and caffeine.

Moreover, many people ask or wonder, if coffee and caffeine can actually become addictive.

Again, it all depends on us. How much do we consume? Are we excessively overdoing it? Then yes, coffee and caffeine can show milder addictive symptoms.

But for the majority of regular coffee drinkers, there is actually only little to worry about. The overall benefits of coffee and caffeine are much greater than the risks.

People and Caffeine Tolerance

As we found out already, we are all different and therefore tolerate varying amounts of caffeine.

This means that caffeine, is affecting our individual bodies in different ways. Quite surprisingly, our genes seem to play a big role.

In fact, health experts discovered many genes assumingly affecting the person’s sensitivity to caffeine.

Apparently, these concerned genes are affecting our enzymes. Specifically the ones that are typically breaking down the caffeine in our liver.

In addition, the same genes also affect the receptors in our brain that are commonly affected by caffeine.

Plus, health experts also highlight that the effects of caffeine on our sleep are determined by our individual genes, as well.

Some of us can go to bed and sleep immediately after drinking coffee. However, other people may stay awake for continuous hours throughout the night.

In general, some people can literally tolerate a lot of coffee and caffeine without any issues.

While others are only okay with a little amount here and there. However, the vast majority of people lies somewhere in the middle.

Furthermore, you can also kind of train and acquire a certain tolerance level over time.

For example, if you are drinking a lot of coffee on a very regular basis, your overall coffee and caffeine tolerance may be much more compared to people who are only drinking rarely.

Moreover, certain individual and medical conditions can also become a key factor. It is important to understand that they can greatly affect our caffeine sensitivity, too.

Here are a few medical conditions that may make you tolerate caffeine less.

• Anxiety
• Diabetes
• Heart arrhythmia
• High blood pressure
• Panic disorder

If you need more professional advice on any of these medical conditions or others, please go and see a nearby health specialist or doctor.

Coffee and its Benefits

We already highlighted that excessive caffeine consumption may cause certain adverse side effects.

However, coffee and caffeine are merely associated with many great health benefits in the first place. Quite remarkably, the beverage is even linked to increased longevity.

Many coffee enthusiasts state that coffee makes them happier and even live longer.

For example, one interesting study had over 400.000 participants between the ages of 50 and 71. People, who drank 4 to 5 cups of coffee per day showed a lower risk of death over the entire 12-13-year study period.

Similar study reports supported these results.

Nonetheless, more research still needs to be done. Until now, the overall research and opinion is still rather mixed.

For instance, there is also another study showcasing the exact opposite. It indicates that drinking 4 cups or more per day is linked to a potentially increased risk of death in people below the age of 55.

But, we also need to keep one more point in mind.

Most of the current studies don’t clearly specify how much is in their cups. Do these studies refer to the standard 8-ounce (240 ml) cup? Or, is it rather the personal cup that these private participants usually use to drink?

However, even if volumes may vary, the coffee cup sizes are mostly not that much different.

So, in summary, there is evidence that coffee drinkers may live longer. And, the optimal amount of coffee and caffeine may be around 4 to 5 cups per day.

Coffee and Health Risks

In general, health experts associate coffee effectively reducing a number of illnesses. Here are the most common disease risks and how coffee may help.

• Alzheimer’s disease – One study showed that 3 to 5 coffee cups per day may decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 65%.
• Depression – Several studies suggest that 4 cups of coffee or more lead to a 20% lower risk of depression. In addition, coffee consumption is also linked to a 53% lower risk of suicide.
• Liver cancer – Reportedly, the risk of liver cancer will be decreased by 44% when drinking 2 cups of coffee on a daily basis.
• Liver cirrhosis – Generally, the condition of liver cirrhosis is a severe consequence of some liver diseases. However, drinking 4 cups or more can reduce the risk by up to 84%.
• Parkinson’s disease – If you are drinking 5 cups or more of coffee per day, health experts associate this with a decreased risk of Parkinson’s.
• Type 2 diabetes – A study showed a 7% reduction for each daily cup of coffee you are drinking. This essentially means that the more coffee you may consume, the lower your risk of type 2 diabetes may become.

So, in summary, we can assume that an average 4 to 5 regular cups of coffee may seem ideal.

However, we also need to mention that all studies are observational in nature. This means, that they cannot prove with absolute scientific certainty that coffee is causing these reductions in diseases.

Basically, coffee and caffeine drinkers are just less likely to get any of these illnesses in the first place.

Additionally, decaf coffee also shows similar beneficial effects. An exception seems to be Parkinson’s, however. Caffeine is seemingly having a more important impact here.

Caffeine and Pregnancy

Does coffee and caffeine have any worrying effects on pregnant women?

First of all, caffeine can certainly cross the placenta in pregnant women and reach the fetus. However, this does not necessarily harm the fetus after all. Because, the fetus commonly has difficulties metabolizing caffeine.

Nonetheless, several studies link especially high caffeine consumption during pregnancy to an increased risk of health conditions. These include miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and lower birth weight.

In general, health experts recommend consuming less coffee and caffeine. Ideally, pregnant women should limit their intake to 100 to 200 mg of caffeine per day. This equals about 1 to 2 cups of coffee.

But, even more experts advice entirely avoiding coffee and caffeine during pregnancy.

This will definitely put you on the safe side when expecting a baby. Again, decaf coffee may be a good alternative during pregnancy for you then.

So, How Much Coffee and Caffeine is Okay for me?

Overall and as most studies indicate, health experts commonly recommend that 4 to 5 cups of coffee and caffeine are the optimal amount per day.

This recommended intake amount is generally associated with the lowest risk of premature deaths. And, the same can be said for a number of other numerous diseases.

We already mentioned most of the common and potential diseases. Some of these are affecting hundreds of millions people all around the world.

And, of course, this does not lead to the conclusion that everyone has to drink coffee. Or, that they should do it.

Firstly, some people may be very caffeine-sensitive. Secondly, others may have certain medical conditions. And thirdly, some consumers simply may not like coffee.

All of these people should or can simply avoid coffee then.

Is there anything else to maybe be aware of as well?

Yes, if you are like drinking coffee but are experiencing any symptoms, such as anxiety, headaches or sleep problems.

You should better reduce your usual coffee consumption. Some people should even eliminate it and maybe go for decaf coffee instead then.

In addition, it is not always the coffee and caffeine to worry about. But maybe the other ingredients you are adding to your coffee.

For example, adding sugar or other unhealthy, high-calorie ingredients can easily negate the benefits of coffee.

As alternative, you could also consider certain natural sugar substitutes. And, some may even choose other milk alternatives, too.

Indeed, there are many great ways to make your coffee better.

Final Thoughts – Coffee and Caffeine

In summary, what can be our final assumption when it comes to coffee and caffeine?

If you are one of the millions of coffee lovers out there and enjoy drinking it, there is actually very little evidence of serious harm.

There is no reason to be overly worried. In fact, there is much more evidence about the various benefits of coffee and caffeine.

On average, 4 to 5 cups per day seem to be the optimal amount.

But still, many people can naturally tolerate a lot more than that. Without experiencing any major health issues.

Nonetheless, some people may experience certain symptoms or side effects. Please go and see a nearby doctor for further professional advice then.

However, for the great majority of coffee enthusiasts, there is no reason to stop drinking and enjoying the empowering dark beverage.

So, how about you?

What are your thoughts or experiences about coffee and caffeine? Are you maybe having any side effects when drinking too much coffee?

How much coffee is generally too much coffee in your case?

Feel free to share your coffee experiences with us.

Until then, stay safe, healthy and properly caffeinated.

Cheers!