Coffee: Is There Such a Thing as Too Much?
Many people drink coffee on a daily basis. But how many know the effects that coffee can have on them?
By Arianna Lowe
Coffee is what gets Maria Poggi out of bed in the mornings. Poggi, a 24-year-old student, has been drinking a cup of coffee every morning since she was very young. “Coffee makes me feel more happy and focused,” she says.
Coffee has been a household item since the late 1700s. The average American drinks over three cups of coffee a day, according to the National Coffee Association. The National Coffee Association also reports that 62% of Americans drink some form of coffee a day, and about 7 in 10 people drink it every week. As of March 2020, coffee consumption in America is up 5% since 2015.
There are many effects that coffee has on people and the body. Coffee can increase a person’s alertness, energy and ability to concentrate. Poggi even says she feels alert, happy and focused when she has coffee.
A latte from Cafe 1923 in Hamtramck. Photo by Nadia Niha
The Good
Many people have to have coffee to start their day. There are many positive effects of coffee when drunk in moderation. Studies have shown that people who drink coffee are less likely to develop serious illnesses such as diabetes, liver disease, cancer and depression. Coffee can also improve your mood, memory, and overall performance and endurance.
The Bad
Drinking too much coffee can be dangerous. That poses the question: What is considered too much coffee? According to the Food and Drug Administration, about 400 milligrams of coffee, which is around four to five cups of coffee a day, is considered a healthy amount of coffee. However, what’s deemed “healthy” can vary from person to person since everyone is different.
Dr. Marjan Moghaddam, a family medicine physician with Henry Ford Health System, says that two to three cups a day is a safe amount. She herself drinks one or two cups a day.
Dr. Marjan Moghaddam, a family medicine physician with Henry Ford Health System
Drinking too much coffee can have various negative effects on people. For example, having too much coffee can cause anxiety. On the other hand, coffee lovers who do not have coffee at all can feel anxiety because their body is not used to not having coffee.
Having too much coffee can also cause irregular heartbeats. This is called arrhythmias. It may feel like a flutter in your heart and could be harmless. However, it can be serious as it could cause life-threatening conditions.
The effects of caffeine can wear off or not be felt as well because some people can develop a tolerance to it.
Withdrawals
People often experience coffee withdrawals that can affect their day. “I can get a headache sometimes if I do not get coffee,” Poggi says. Moghaddam also says if she doesn’t have coffee, she tends to get a headache.
There are several signs of coffee withdrawal that a person may experience if they do not get their daily cup of coffee. Some signs include tiredness, difficulty concentrating, muscle pain, nausea and more. The more coffee that a person consumes, the more intense or severe the symptoms may be. Withdrawal symptoms can start as early as 12-24 hours after your last coffee intake and can last two to nine days, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
How to Cut Back on Your Coffee Intake
If you are looking to cut your coffee intake, you should not go cold turkey. Experts say that going cold turkey can lead you to experience withdrawal symptoms and make you go back to your usual coffee intake. You should reduce the amount of coffee that you drink slowly. This process can take a little bit of time depending on how much coffee you drink. Slowly start to substitute your coffee for something else like water, or even juice, but something that does not contain caffeine. If you are a coffee lover, switching your regular coffee to decaf is also an option to start lowering your caffeine intake.
As you can see, drinking coffee can have various positive effects on people, but only if you drink it in moderation. It can also have numerous negative effects if you consume too much of it on a daily basis. In the end, it all comes down to making sure you know how much coffee you drink and making sure you are safely drinking coffee.
