What is the ideal amount of coffee you should drink in a day?

Every year people around the world consume over 500 billion cups of coffee. It is probably one of our favorite daily habits and for most it is unthinkable to start the day without a sip of coffee.

In recent years, scientific research has come to the conclusion: 3 cups a day is all we need to have all the possible benefits for our health and brain.

Why 3? A recent study in older adults links coffee consumption to cognitive health. More specifically, in a sample of 676 people, regular coffee drinkers showed less cognitive impairment than non-drinkers.

However, one should not consume more than 600 mg of caffeinated beverages per day, while the American Institute of Health characterizes as "excessive" coffee consumption that exceeds 10 cups (approximately 240 ml) on a daily basis. Harvard epidemiologist Rob van Dam says his studies show no increased risk of death from any cause for people who drink up to 6 cups of coffee a day.

At the same time, those who drank 3 cups a day showed the best cognitive function of all. A Harvard study of a much larger quantitative sample (208,501 participants, men and women) reinforces the above claim.

The specific research concerned life expectancy and the chances of death in the next 20 years. According to the findings of scientists, those who drink coffee have less chance of death than those who did not drink, while the ideal amount is between 3 and 5 cups a day.