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Five cups of coffee no longer automatically qualifies as a bad habit. A new American Heart Association scientific statement concludes that up to five 8-ounce cups per day, roughly 400 milligrams of caffeine, are generally safe for most adults and may offer cardiovascular benefits.
The surprising part isn’t simply how much coffee you can drink. It’s that the cup’s contents and brewing method may matter almost as much as the caffeine.
Coffee’s Heart-Health Reputation Is Changing
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Circulation, the statement reviewed research connecting coffee and caffeine with blood pressure, cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythms.
The strongest sweet spot appears to be two to four daily cups, which has been associated with lower risks of heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Regular black coffee has also been linked to reduced Type 2 diabetes risk.
“We could even be recommending soon that people have coffee,” Eugenia Gianos, MD, a Northwell Health cardiologist who wasn’t involved in the statement, told The Wall Street Journal. “Not only is the lay public confused about this topic, but many clinicians out there don’t know how to guide their patients.”
That isn’t permission to start chasing a five-cup target. Most available studies are observational and cannot prove coffee caused the reported benefits.
“We all metabolize caffeine at different speeds,” lead author Gregory Marcus, MD, a UC San Francisco cardiologist, told the publication. Genetics, age, medications, existing health conditions, and caffeine habits can change an individual’s response.
Related: Researchers Found the Highest Microplastic Levels in a Drink Millions of Men Have Every Morning
The Catch Is What’s Inside Your Cup
A “cup” means eight ounces—not a 24-ounce café drink. Caffeine content also varies widely: The FDA reports that a 12-ounce brewed coffee can contain 113 to 247 milligrams.
Sugar, flavored syrups, and saturated-fat-heavy creamers may also undercut coffee’s potential advantages. Brewing matters, too. The AHA notes that unfiltered preparations, including French press, Turkish coffee, and espresso, contain cafestol, a compound associated with higher LDL cholesterol. Paper filters largely remove it.
Coffee also shouldn’t be confused with energy drinks. “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 said in the AHA announcement.
Related: The Way You Brew Your Morning Coffee Could Be Raising Your LDL Cholesterol
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