Coffee can help many people wake up in the morning on cold winter mornings and start their day. But most don’t know that not only does it support healthy metabolism and offer many health benefits – researchers have linked moderate coffee drinking with lower risks of premature death, heart disease and cancer – so how much is enough?

Your ideal coffee consumption largely depends on personal taste, sensitivity to caffeine levels, body weight and overall health status, medications you are currently taking as well as personal studies; but generally five cups of caffeinated coffee per day should be safe for most adults.

Health benefits associated with coffee come mainly from its polyphenols, plant-based antioxidants. For optimal results, choose coffee that contains high amounts of these plant-based antioxidants and is grown at high altitudes before being slowly roasted in small batches at low heat before being finely ground, filtered, and served black, according to Becky Upham, award-winning author of “The Coffee Lover’s Diet.”

Studies suggest that those who enjoy four to five 8-ounce cups of coffee each day may gain significant health benefits, including reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure and heart rate readings, protection against liver disease and improved mood.

Although caffeine contributes to these benefits, scientists believe other elements found in coffee may also play an integral role. They include magnesium, potassium and vitamin B; all three work to alleviate oxidative stress while increasing energy levels and metabolic rate.

Coffee has long been used to maintain a healthy liver, as it helps lower harmful enzyme levels that form when people eat too much fat or drink alcohol in excess. Your liver is an integral organ that performs over 500 functions within your body – it stores essential nutrients while dispensing them when required.

One study revealed that men and women who drank three or more cups of coffee daily were less likely to develop cirrhosis, an irreparable liver condition caused by chronic alcoholism or Hepatitis C infection.

Research published in 2022 followed 47,513 people for around 11 years and examined their coffee-drinking habits along with other lifestyle factors. People who consumed moderate coffee consumption (three to five cups a day) had approximately 15% less risk of dying prematurely from any cause – including cardiovascular disease and cancer – compared with those who didn’t drink coffee.

However, research found that drinking more than five cups of coffee daily increases your risk of premature death significantly. This is likely because as more caffeine is consumed with each sip consumed and you consume, more negative side effects such as acid reflux, irritability, heart palpitations, insomnia and muscle tremors may surface as side effects.