How many cups of coffee do you drink a day? Science says this exact amount could lower death risk by 14%

Having one or two cups of black coffee each day could reduce the risk of dying early by 14%, according to a new study quoted by PTI. But adding sugar or milk might reduce these health benefits, researchers have warned.

The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, was led by Fang Fang Zhang from Tufts University in the US. She explained, “The health benefits of coffee might be due to its bioactive compounds, but our results suggest that adding sugar and saturated fat may take away these benefits.”

What the study found

The research team studied data from over 46,000 adults aged 20 and above. The data came from nine cycles of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), collected between 1999 and 2018. This information was then linked to national death records.


Participants reported what they ate and drank in a 24-hour period. Based on that, their coffee habits were studied, whether they drank it with or without caffeine, how much sugar and saturated fat they added, and how many cups they consumed.

Black coffee vs coffee with sugar and fat

Bingjie Zhou, first author of the study and a PhD graduate from Tufts, said, “Few studies have looked at how coffee additives affect the link between coffee and mortality. Our study is one of the first to measure how much sugar and saturated fat people are adding.”

The researchers found that people who drank black coffee or coffee with very little sugar and fat had a 14% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who didn’t drink coffee at all.

Having two to three cups of coffee a day was linked to a 17% lower risk of death. However, drinking more than three cups a day did not show extra benefits. In fact, the link between coffee and reduced death from heart disease became weaker beyond that point.

Key takeaway

While coffee may offer health benefits, the study suggests that these may only apply when it's drunk plain or with minimal additions. Too much sugar or fat could cancel out the good effects.

Inputs from PTI