How much coffee can you drink during the day?

Anyone who has never been warned about the number of coffees consumed during their day should raise their cup. Certainly, an overdose of caffeine can quickly explain the drinker to the dark side and lead to anxiety, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, aggressiveness, tremors or even tachycardia. But consumed correctly, the drink can be a real health benefit (or at least prevent us from having the keyboard keys printed on our forehead during post-lunch digestion). So how many coffees can you drink without hyperventilating?

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Official recommendations

The recommendations come to us from the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), in 2015. The latter has thus ruled on the maximum dose of caffeine that the adult population (including the elderly) can drink all at once , and throughout the day. Verdict: “A healthy adult should not have more than 200 mg of caffeine at a time, and 400 throughout the day. In other words, a cup, a cup and a half of coffee at a time, and four to five in total a day. If we stick to this moderate consumption, all the scientific literature considers that there are no harmful effects on health,” informs Astrid Nehlig, emeritus research director at Inserm.

Obviously, these recommendations concern all sources of caffeine that we can consume, such as tea (even if it contains less), sodas, energy drinks, etc.

Still according to EFSA, pregnant and lactating women should be satisfied with 200 mg of caffeine per day. Excessive consumption can lead to the risk of miscarriage or problems with fetal development. “It is even better to prefer the decaffeinated version of the drink, or even consume herbal teas instead. The child does not know how to metabolize caffeine, so he feels its effects directly,” comments Laurence Plumey, nutritionist (1). Since caffeine passes into milk, mothers are also advised to prefer drinking their coffee after breastfeeding. “Of course, people prone to sleep disorders should also limit their consumption, such as those prone to digestive disorders, such as heartburn, gastritis or reflux,” adds the doctor.

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Espresso VS filter coffee

That being said, it remains to be seen which coffee we are talking about. “Contrary to what many believe, espresso contains less caffeine than filter coffee; This comes mainly from the preparation process. We can therefore drink more espressos than filter coffee during the day”, adds Philippe Pouillart, master-researcher in culinary practice and health at the Polytechnic Institute UniLaSalle of Beauvais.

You can drink more espressos than coffee filters during the day

Professor Philippe Pouillard

The official recommendations are general and everything obviously depends on the genetic heritage of each person. “People with a so-called ‘slow’ metabolism eliminate caffeine more slowly, and therefore drink less caffeine than ‘fast’ people”, explains Astrid Nehlig. This is also why some people can drink coffee after 5 hours without difficulty falling asleep later, and others cannot. “Caffeine binds to a receptor in the brain and stops the effects of the sleep molecule,” explains the researcher.

Professor Philippe Pouillart reminds us: “In moderate doses, coffee stimulates the central nervous system, drinkers have less risk of developing Alzheimer’s.” It also stimulates alertness and reduces drowsiness.” In a previous article on the subject, Astrid Nehlig has already highlighted the protective effect of the drink against cardiovascular diseases, and indicated that it “reduces the risk of developing the disease of Parkinson’s by 60%”.

(1) Dr. Laurence Plumey is notably the author of Big Book of Food, Ed. Eyerolls, €23.90.