What’s the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world? It’s not alcohol, cannabis, or nicotine. It’s caffeine. At least 85% of Americans consume some form of the entirely legal drug every day. Clearly, we’re a nation in love with our morning cup (or three) of coffee.
But as common and beloved as caffeine is, it can also be controversial, with experts arguing over its health impacts and how much is too much. That leaves many of us slurping away each morning, but secretly anxious that our passion for coffee might be doing us harm.
If that sounds familiar, then the American Heart Association has a simple, cheerful message for you: Chill out—your coffee obsession is probably doing you no harm.
Mixed messages about caffeine consumption
We may love the sensory joys of a perfectly brewed cup of coffee, and enjoy the kick of alertness and energy it provides. But we also often feel guilty about it.
Sleep researchers warn our coffee habit might be silently messing with our sleep and causing nasty knock-on effects for your all-around health. Psychologists scold that it can make you jittery, anxious, and irritable. One weird study even found caffeine makes you more prone to budget-busting impulse buys. Cerebral food writers suggest you take a “coffee hiatus” to recalibrate your addiction to the drug.
On the other hand, some studies suggest coffee might be protective of brain health. Others extoll the health benefits of the antioxidants found in coffee. One researcher even called your favorite morning beverage a “miracle compound.”
Nutrition guidance is notoriously changeable and confusing. But the question of whether coffee is good or bad for you, and in what quantities, is particularly fraught. With all the contradictory studies and competing narratives, who can sort through it all and arrive at a single, science-validated answer to the question, how much coffee is it actually OK to drink?
Cardiologists approve this many cups of coffee a day
The American Heart Association—that’s who. The nation’s leading organization dedicated to all things heart health recently sifted through all the available evidence on the impacts of caffeine on our health and came to a very clear conclusion. Caffeine fans are going to like it.
“The latest research indicates that consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine/day (equivalent to up to five 8-ounce cups of caffeinated coffee per day) is generally safe for most adults and appears to be linked to a lower risk of several cardiovascular conditions, including heart failure, heart disease and stroke in some individuals,” the organization announced.
Recent studies also suggest that drinking coffee lowered the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Caffeine consumption has also been linked to lower cholesterol levels.
Two important caveats
Coffee fanatics may be cheering the news, but it’s important to note that there are two important caveats to the cardiologists’ blanket endorsement of up to five cups a day.
The first is that it doesn’t apply to everyone, everywhere. Maybe you have hypertension or insomnia, or some other condition that could be worsened by too much coffee. In that case, this statement is not a permission slip to sip as you please.
“It’s important to remember that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy for safe caffeine consumption. People can respond very differently to caffeine based on various factors, such as age, medications, underlying health conditions, genetics and how quickly their bodies metabolize it,” warns Gregory Marcus, the chair of the volunteer writing group for the statement.
The second caveat doesn’t just apply to specific groups, but to all of us. Yes, coffee seems to be fine for your heart. But heaps of sugar, glugs of cream, and cases of soda aren’t. This advice only applies if you take your caffeine in the form of unsweetened, undoctored coffee or tea. Whipped-cream-topped Frappuccinos and Red Bulls are not included.
“High doses of caffeine, such as those found in energy drinks, including energy shots, may have harmful effects on the heart and should be avoided,” Marcus stresses.
Same delicious morning brew, less guilt
This new scientific statement from the nation’s cardiologists probably won’t change most people’s coffee-drinking habits much. After all, 85% of us were already swilling coffee daily. But it should take away some of the guilt and worry around your morning cup of joe.
If you’re otherwise healthy, with no conditions or concerns that might indicate otherwise, and if you refrain from mixing your caffeine with sugar and chemicals, then go ahead and drink up to five cups a day. It might even do your heart a bit of good.
—Jessica Stillman
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com.
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