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If you're anything like me, your coffee spirit animal is Lorelai Gilmore. The first thing you do each morning is stumble into the kitchen to make a very strong pot of coffee. Then, you head out to your favourite local coffee shop for another hit (preferably from a gruffly handsome diner guy). When you get to work, you stomp into your office kitchen and demand more. You have another cup at lunch and a shot of espresso after dinner. Sleep, repeat.
If this sounds anything like you, congratulations, you're probably drinking too much coffee! But how much coffee should we actually be drinking? Is there an ideal number of cups per day? When does it start becoming unhealthy? We spoke to GP Rui Lopes at OMED Health and Hannah Trueman, a senior nutritionist at Body Fabulous Health Clinic, to find out exactly how much coffee we should all be drinking.
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How many cups of coffee should you drink every day?
First thing's first — how much is too much? And how much is just enough?
As you may have guessed, there is no single answer. “The amount of coffee that you should drink depends on the type of coffee and the individual,” Lopes tells us. “Caffeine tolerance is different for everyone, and you can still get some of the potential health benefits by drinking one cup of coffee a day, or even decaf.”
He notes that for “most women,” three to five cups of coffee a day (or 400mg of caffeine) is typically cited as the maximum recommended amount. “Although caffeine content can vary depending on coffee type, we’ll estimate an average cup has 95mg,” he says.
Trueman adds that this really does depend on the individual. “Individual tolerance varies – some people may be more sensitive to caffeine and should stick to less than 200 mg per day,” she says. “For others, even less may be optimal. Factors like genetics (such as ADORA2A and CYP1A2 genes), digestive health and stress levels play a role in this variability."
And it gets even more complicated — timing also makes a difference. “Having it earlier in the day helps avoid sleep disturbances, as caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours, meaning its effects can linger, especially in those who metabolise it more slowly,” she goes on. But not too early. “Some individuals may experience increased anxiety or digestive discomfort when drinking caffeine on an empty stomach, so it’s often better to consume it after breakfast. For some, adding collagen powder may be enough to help mitigate these effects,” she adds.
She goes on: “Those dealing with chronic fatigue or stress may benefit from waiting at least 90 minutes after waking to have caffeine, as it can interfere with the natural morning cortisol spike, which is important for maintaining energy levels throughout the day.”
Then there are, of course, certain people who should probably avoid coffee altogether.
“Pregnant women and individuals with certain health conditions should consult a healthcare provider for personalised guidance,” she says, adding, “While moderate caffeine intake can offer benefits, it’s important to pay attention to your body’s unique signals and avoid excessive consumption to prevent negative long-term effects like dependency, increased anxiety or hypertension.”
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The potential benefits of some coffee
Good news, coffee lovers! If you find your unique sweet spot with caffeine, it can actually come with some potential health benefits.
“Drinking coffee has several benefits for the digestive tract, including stimulation of gastric juices that help in digestion of foods, which increases colonic motility and helps move digested food along,” Lopes says. “Dietary fibres that are mostly non-digestible polysaccharides contained in coffee also have marked effects on gut microbiota. These are broken down in the body into short chain fatty acids, compounds that can reduce inflammation and maintain gut health.”
The risks of drinking too much coffee
However, if you overdo your coffee intake each day, you may start to notice some of the downsides.
“Sensitivity to caffeine can lead to issues like anxiety, jitters, disrupted sleep, energy slumps, dysregulated cortisol levels, increased heart rate, high blood pressure and digestive discomfort,” Trueman says.
Adds Lopes: “There is no clear answer as to whether coffee is good or bad for digestion — as with much of gut health, this can vary greatly from person to person. There is some evidence that it can contribute to heartburn and indigestion, diarrhoea, inability to sleep, worsen IBS, IBD and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).”
Ultimately, more research is needed. “So far, clinical trials have been small and encumbered by non-standardisation of methods. Understanding exactly how coffee imparts benefits remains limited, and it’s an area of research that deserves more exploration,” Lopes says. “This is because concentrations of the different components of coffee are strongly affected by coffee type and origin, methods of processing (roasting etc) and preparation. By extension, coffee drinking may affect people differently across the world according to regional habits and practices.”
