How Much Caffeine Is in Your Coffee (and How does It Affect You)?

Coffee is an integral part of many adults’ daily routine. It provides its energizing effect on people due to its major component called caffeine. Opinions on caffeine differ, with some people stating it is healthy and helpful and the others claiming it is harmful and creates danger of addiction. So where does the truth lie?

The truth is, it’s all about the amount of caffeine one consumes. Studies have shown that a safe daily amount of caffeine for an average healthy person is 500 mg a day. So, if one has more than that, it may be better to consider reducing overall quantity of coffee cups. However, no evidence has been found regarding caffeine causing any particular addiction, and mortality rates among both women and men are not affected negatively by drinking coffee.

The content of caffeine various coffee cups contain is defined by four factors. These are the type of coffee beans, way of roasting (with lighter beans being more caffeinated than darker ones), type of coffee itself and a serving size. Mayo Clinic has combined the data regarding caffeine in various coffee types into a handy chart we present here. The amount of caffeine changes as size of a coffee cup becomes larger, as many private coffee-selling networks such as Starbuck’s, McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts etc. have various volumes of drink in their servings.

And while amounts of coffee a person drinks throughout a day should be kept up to 500 mg of caffeine in it, coffee provides a great deal of benefits to our health and productivity. Among these benefits are

Metabolism boost and better cognitive functioning;
Reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, liver cirrhosis;
Big amount of antioxidants, such as hydrocinnamic acids and polyphenols, with the latter significantly helping in prevention of Type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart diseases;
Fatigue reduction and increase of alertness that positively influence one’s performance, especially in situations of sleep restriction;
Better mental functioning among regular coffee drinkers.

There are also such aspects as personal sensitivity to caffeine and withdrawal state. Active caffeine consumption among sensitive people has revealed that negative consequences are possible for this category of people. Also, too much of caffeine may result into restlessness, anxiety heart palpitations, as well as sleep problems if had at the wrong time. Thus, even though there are more positive factors in drinking coffee than negative ones, one should better maintain caffeine consumption under recommended levels and keep an eye on their general well-being and productivity levels to define what amount of coffee is optimal for them.

Generally, as studies say, people are quite good at keeping their caffeine consumption at healthy levels and the right pattern (e.g., not drinking coffee before going to sleep), providing themselves with as many benefits as coffee has to offer while ensuring absence of any negative health effects.