Science has researched this and given its verdict

If there’s one thing humans have in common, it’s that billions of us love coffee. We drink billions of cups every day, and it’s so widespread that we can even map the price of coffee in every country. That may soon change as the industry is hit by a storm, but science is not only waking us up in the morning, it’s increasingly clear that it’s a very healthy drink.

Now, it has a component that remains controversial, called caffeine (more because of myths than anything else). And that leaves many people wondering how many cups of coffee a day is recommended. Let’s see what science says.

Start your day with coffeeGetting out of bed and making coffee of any kind is one of those traditions that many, many people share. There are those who do it because, although they are not crazy about the drink, they claim that it helps them get started with energy. Others of us drink it because we simply enjoy it.

It’s this effect of caffeine that causes many of us to reach for coffee at one point or another, even when we don’t feel like it. And the truth is, while it does activate dopamine and affect the anterior cingulate cortex to improve cognitive function, caffeine may not be the main culprit. In fact, there are scientists who believe that it’s partly a placebo effect. But hey, there are also plenty of studies that praise coffee for how good it is.

But… how much caffeine? Several years ago, at the request of the European Commission, a technical committee of the European Food Safety Authority conducted a study on the safety of caffeine. Caffeine in general, including coffee and other sources of energy drinks.

They concluded that single doses of 200 milligrams of caffeine do not cause any problems. In fact, the maximum for an adult is about 400 milligrams per day. For pregnant and breastfeeding women, 200 milligrams per day does not raise safety concerns. OK, the calculation is 5.7 mg/kg of a person’s weight as a general measure, but that recommendation is like shooting flies with a cannon. For children and adolescents, that amount drops to 3 mg/kg, and the general recommendation is no more than two to three cups of coffee per day.

It depends on many things. The reason is that, according to EFSA, we do not know very well how many cups we can drink to maintain the required amount of caffeine. And the problem is that the concentration of caffeine depends on many, many factors. On the one hand, the type of coffee itself, since not all of them contain the same caffeine.

But on the other hand, you need to consider the roast (lighter roasts have more caffeine, dark roasts have a little less), the grind (finer grinds have more caffeine) and the type of preparation. We do not have the same amount of coffee in espresso, in the brewing method, when preparing it by percolation or vacuum. In addition, the longer the extraction, the more caffeine.

Caffeine tableAs a very, very general indicator, our colleagues from Directo al Paladar have prepared a guideline table:

Pages like Caffeine Informer have a little more data, including on commercial drinks, though mostly from the US.

• Espresso (60 ml): 80 mg.
• Cup of filter coffee (200 ml): 90 mg.
• American coffee (354 ml): 154 mg.
• Instant coffee (236 ml): 57 mg.

Advantages > DisadvantagesKnowing this, the truth is that if you think that you are consuming a lot of caffeine by drinking two or three cups of coffee a day and that it is keeping you awake, you should keep in mind that caffeine does not affect everyone the same way, and that in fact, there are those who think that coffee before bed has its benefits.

After all, coffee has a host of health benefits beyond caffeine. Research is increasingly clear that it is a very healthy drink, linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with Harvard researchers stating that “consumer consumption of 3 to 5 standard cups of coffee per day is consistently associated with a lower risk of a number of chronic diseases.”

However, it does have its downsides, such as exacerbating insomnia problems if caffeine is not well tolerated, and it is not recommended for people who have difficulty controlling blood pressure due to its vasodilatory effect. But hey, you see, the number of cups per day depends on your weight, fitness level, and who you ask: 2-3 cups according to EFSA or 3-5 cups according to Harvard.

Images | Kyle Peyton

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