Starting the day with a cup of coffee is a recognisable ritual for many of us. Whether it is to accompany your breakfast or to give you a quick energy boost before hopping on the metro because you’re already late for work, a dose of caffeine seldom disappoints. And even as the day advances, that coffee cup never leaves our desk. But when are you drinking too much of that black gold? Starting from what amount of cups a day should you be thinking of dialling it down because it could have a negative effect on your health? Great questions to which science has found the answer, as it seems.
Coffee being such a big part of our daily lives, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a lot of research has been done into the subject already. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an average adult can drink 400 mg of caffeine a day without experiencing any problems. Still according to the authority, that accounts for 5 espressos or 4 big cups of coffee. Of course, this also means that you shouldn’t consume any other caffeinated drinks during that day, such as energy beverages or coke.
What if you drink more?
The question now is: what happens if you consume more than that amount of coffee a day? Insomnia, restlessness and an increased heart rate or some of the better-known side effects that many of us have already been able to experience once or twice in our lives on days on which we went a bit overboard with the coffee intake.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration also warns for nausea and dysphoria and points out that pregnant women should limit their intake to 200 mg a day maximum. Moreover, many medications’ effect can be altered by caffeine and in some cases, too much coffee would even be able to cause cardiovascular problems. Sticking to those 400 mg a day thus seems like the wise thing to do, all the while limiting the sugar you’re adding to those cups as well though.
