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It's what wakes us up in the morning, our delicious cup of 'jo - taken on ice, steamed, with cream, or sprinkled with cinnamon. It also can be taken way overboard - especially when you're on your fifth cup of the morning and experiencing panic-inducing shakes.
Doctors, however, think they have found just the right amount of coffee to produce all the health benefits without creating negative side effects and risks.
Beyond waking you up (Seriously - a cup takes me from bleh to YAS!) coffee is proven to contain a host of antioxidants, even more so than green tea. These antioxidants actually boost the immune system and help fend off nasty diseases.
A study conducted found that people who regularly drink coffee (we're talking pure coffee - with little to no creamer) lowers the risk of prostate cancer, liver disease and other types of cancers. It's also been proven to help you lose weight and reduce depression.
Oddly enough, all the benefits that coffee supply can be wiped out the moment you have a cup too many. In fact, it can be damaging, especially to the cardiovascular system, to have too much caffeine.
If you're an avid coffee drinker, experts suggest that 3-4 cups as needed should be the perfect limit. Going over six cups can lead to a host of issues and health problems.
If you struggle with keeping track of how much caffeine you're intaking a day, use this simple caffeine calculator! Your goal is to track less or no more than 400 mg a day.
Mallory Arnold is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
