3 days ago
My Husband Drinks a Pot of Coffee a Day—So I Asked the Experts If That's Safe
Reviewed by Dietitian Maria Laura Haddad-GarciaCoffee has antioxidants that may lower your risk of disease when consumed in moderation.
Too much caffeine can cause heart issues, anxiety and poor sleep.
Coffee isn't harmful in moderation, but it can't make up for an unhealthy husband can't start the day without his morning coffee. He's not the kind of guy who can wait to get to the office before having some coffee. On workdays, he wakes up as much as two hours early to make sure that he has time to prepare and enjoy his cups of joe. In other words, it's very much a lifestyle for him.
His stringent adherence to his ritual makes me worry. I'm a tea drinker and enjoy a bag of green or black leaves every morning, but if I need to go without it, I can. I don't mind the fact that our coffee makers are seemingly always at work. But in recent months, I have grown concerned about my husband's health, as he has started drinking around a pot of coffee by himself each day.
Is his habit harmless or harmful? I spoke with health experts and dug into the science to find out. Here's what I learned.
Susie Polgreen, M.S., RD, CD, IFNCP, is almost as committed to her coffee as my husband is. She grinds locally roasted beans each morning and adds organic half-and-half. 'There's really compelling research that shows a lot of health benefits with regular coffee consumption,' she says. 'The thing I like to point out is that coffee mainly contains caffeine and something called polyphenols.'
Polyphenols, she explains, are molecules with antioxidant properties that can fight the body's cell damage. Polyphenols are also warriors against inflammation. In fact, research shows that compounds in coffee (including chlorogenic acid, diterpenes and trigonelline) have been found to help mitigate cancer risk and stave off degenerative disease.
There is a laundry list of ailments whose prevention has been linked to regular, moderate coffee consumption, primarily attributed to a combination of caffeine and polyphenols. Those include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, chronic kidney disease and liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.
Many of us grew up being told that caffeine was detrimental to our health, but in many cases, that school of thought is now démodé. Stephanie Coulter, M.D., FACC, FASE, a cardiologist, points to a 2023 review on the impact of coffee consumption on cardiovascular health. The meta-analysis of 17 recent studies, which looked at more than 230,000 participants, found that 'moderate coffee consumption leads to a decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular-related mortality, hypertension, cholesterol, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.'
'Most of the studies and observational data sets have shown that moderate consumption is associated with less risk,' Coulter adds. 'That means that if it's something that you love to enjoy, at best it may be good for you in moderation, but at worst, it's not harming you.'
So, if you drink coffee moderately, you're probably in the clear. But what about if you're like my husband? The first issue that Coulter brings up is sleep. In 2022, the American Heart Association added sleep to its official checklist of cardiovascular health factors, alongside diet and physical activity. Coulter cautions that drinking too much coffee too close to bedtime (usually meaning after 6 p.m.) could interfere with that vital rest.
Coulter explains that 400 milligrams or less of caffeine a day is considered moderate consumption, which is what health authorities recommend as the upper limit. That's the amount you'll find in about four cups of coffee. My husband often drinks more than that, so is he at risk, even if his sleep is usually not disrupted by drinking a steamy mug with dessert?
Coulter and Polgreen highlight that the signs of too much caffeine include an elevated heart rate, palpitations and high blood pressure, as well as anxiety and headache. 'We know without a shadow of the doubt that people with lower blood pressures on average as they age have less heart failure, less heart attack, less stroke, less kidney disease and, even better, less cognitive decline, so overconsuming any substances that raise your blood pressure over time probably is not beneficial,' says Coulter.
Polgreen says that she considers one or two cups a day to be safest for her clients. Though the cardiovascular issues are cumulative with regular caffeine consumption, others—like anxiety—can be a daily battle. That's because caffeine may elevate your cortisol, a stress hormone. But fortunately, coffee lover Polgreen has a hack for that.
'You never want to drink coffee on an empty stomach because what that does is it could actually spike your cortisol,' Polgreen explains. 'So even adding in something small with that coffee in the morning can make people feel a lot more regulated throughout the day.' She recommends waiting until after breakfast to have your first cup. Can't bear the wait? She says that even a protein bar or a handful of nuts could lower your post-java jitters.
In short, it probably does. A new study of American adults and their mortality relating to the timing of their coffee drinking found that people who took their coffee in the morning had a lower risk of early death tied to cardiovascular disease than those who enjoyed it throughout the day.
Why? As Coulter mentioned, sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining your heart's health and well-being. However, there is also some evidence that coffee can act as a balm to inflammation that can reach its peak just after we wake up.
Another advantage to drinking coffee first thing in the morning? It can help you poop. Just as you stretch out and start your day, your bowels switch from their sleeping state to a state of wakefulness. If you drink your coffee when your gut is most active, it may help to clean out your colon faster.
From one perspective, coffee is a relatively neutral entity. Black coffee contains a negligible amount of calories, so whatever you add to it might cause more problems than the beans themselves. In fact, if you take your cup with sugar or artificial sweeteners, that may be where inflammation can enter the picture.
Polgreen says flavored coffee creamers are one of the worst culprits for sneaking sugar. And while a little added sugar won't damage your health, excessive consumption increases your risk of chronic disease. If you're looking for another way to boost the flavor, she recommends adding cinnamon to your cup. 'Cinnamon has also been shown to be really great for blood sugar regulation, so not only does it taste great, but it does have its own health benefits,' she says.
There is evidence that limiting added sugar can also be beneficial in managing blood sugar levels. A new study demonstrated that women who drank two cups of black coffee each day metabolized glucose better than those who didn't drink coffee on a daily basis. A recent review of other studies on coffee consumption found ties to both longevity and a healthier lifespan. However, it's worth noting that researchers found similar bioactive ingredients in tea and chocolate, so those of us who don't drink coffee but enjoy either tea or chocolate can reap those benefits.
Coulter notes that since stopping at a coffee shop can be expensive, the same health advantages associated with affluence may influence studies of those who drink coffee versus those who don't.
She's also quick to say that the best thing for people is to take care of themselves, despite the fact that coffee likely has some healthful benefits. That means incorporating healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutrient-dense meals, prioritizing sleep and staying active through regular movement. She mentions that doing these each day has no replacement. 'You can't drink coffee to combat a terrible lifestyle,' she says. 'You can't get by with being bad by drinking coffee.'
Despite a bit of cynicism in reference to studies, Coulter is convinced that coffee isn't harmful to the heart, or any other system, for that matter. 'The take-home message about coffee is that people have tried to say it's bad for you for decades, and no one can find any strong data in the moderate consumers to suggest that it's true,' she says.
The literal take-home message for me? Though there's nothing wrong with moderate consumption of my husband's favorite beans, there has been less written about healthy people who drink more than five cups a day. It's probably time to work on getting down to a couple of cups each morning, after a small meal. But reading up and talking to the experts allayed many of my fears. Coffee, like everything else, requires moderation. Wish me luck as I tell my husband that.
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