In general, coffee consumption becomes lethal at around 100 cups of coffee in a single day.
If you are looking to get the maximum benefit from your coffee habit, the current research suggests 4–5 cups per day may be the optimal amount to drink. Anything more will increase the risk of negative symptoms like anxiety, upset stomach, and insomnia while reducing the positive effects.
For more specific suggestions and concerns regarding coffee consumption, continue reading below:
It is important to note that the maximum amount of coffee that you can drink personally without any adverse effects depends on how much coffee you are used to drinking and your genetics.
Many genes have been discovered that affect our sensitivity to caffeine and how it affects our bodies. Our caffeine tolerance is also highly individual because it depends on how often we drink coffee and our genes. For these reasons, it is best to tailor your coffee consumption to your needs (if you decide to make coffee a part of your life).
For example, if you don’t usually consume coffee or any other caffeinated beverage, then it is best to increase your consumption by one to two cups a day every four days or so. (This is because current research suggests that it can take up to 4 days of consuming a certain amount of coffee before your body develops a tolerance to it.)
However, some people may struggle to process higher amounts of caffeine regardless of their tolerance. If this is the case for you, then you may experience negative symptoms like anxiety, dizziness, insomnia, upset stomach, and tremors when you try increasing your caffeine consumption.
Other people who will struggle with caffeine consumption are those who have anxiety, panic disorder, insomnia, heart arrhythmia, high blood pressure, diabetes, take medication or have any sort of medical condition. Anyone with these conditions should speak to a doctor before consuming coffee.
Another important caveat when it comes to caffeine consumption is that pregnant women should limit or avoid it. This recommendation stems from the many studies that have linked high caffeine consumption in pregnancy to increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and lower birth weight.
Because of this, pregnant women are generally advised to limit their intake to 100–200 mg of caffeine per day (about 1–2 cups of coffee). However, many experts recommend avoiding coffee completely during pregnancy, which is a smart choice if you want to avoid all potential risk.