Dear Fit,
I just got a fancy coffee maker for Christmas, and now I'm finding myself enjoying at least three or four cups a day. My husband says that's too much. Is he right? Is there a danger in having too much caffeine?
—Caffeinated Carol
Ooh, this is a tough question for me because I'm with you — I love coffee, but it's the caffeine we need to worry about. For the average person, up to 300 milligrams of caffeine a day [1] is considered a safe amount to consume. Since caffeine is a stimulant, if you have too much each day [2], it could affect your sleep patterns, heart rate, blood pressure, headaches, or digestion. Overdoing it with caffeine may also be associated with miscarriages [3] or cause a woman to give birth to a smaller baby.
It may surprise you to find out how much caffeine is in your favorite hot beverages so .
| Drink | Amount of Caffeine |
| 8 oz. Short cup of Starbucks Coffee | 180 mg [4] |
| 12 oz. Tall cup of Starbucks Coffee | 260 mg |
| 16 oz. Grande cup of Starbucks Coffee | 330 mg |
| 20 oz. Venti cup of Starbucks Coffee | 415 mg |
| 1 oz. Starbucks Espresso | 75mg |
| 8 oz. Organic Black Tea | 65mg |
| 8 oz. Organic Green Tea | 50 mg [5] |
| 16 oz. Starbucks Hot Chocolate | 25mg |
I won't beat around the coffee beans here. There are definite health benefits to drinking a cup of joe, such as antioxidants [6] for overall health and improved memory [7]. Java may also help ease muscle pain [8], and coupled with working out, drinking coffee may help prevent skin cancer [9]. A recent study also suggests that drinking a few cups a day may help you live longer [10].
So while coffee is good for you, too much caffeine [11] is not. Even if you enjoy two eight-ounce cups, that's 360 mg of caffeine — 60 mg over the recommended limit. One ounce of coffee contains about 21 mg of caffeine, so stick to no more than a total of 14 ounces of joe a day. If you want to enjoy this hot beverage throughout your day, sip on four- to five-ounce cups, three times a day.
Source [12]