Coffee, with its caffeine level, can be beneficial for some people, such as those that experience migraines. There are other people, however, who drink cup after cup of coffee without knowing if they are drinking too much.

According to the Mayo Clinic, coffee can help fight fatigue, increase wakefulness and help with concentration and focus. It accomplishes all of this by stimulating the central nervous system.

Generally, 200 milligrams of coffee a day does not do any harm. This is the equivalent of between two and four cups a day. There are some things that are warning signs that a person needs to cut back or cut out their caffeine intake.

Four cups

When a person drinks more that 300 milligrams of caffeine a day they may suffer from irritability, fast heartbeat, nervousness and other symptoms. Even a small amount of caffeine may cause some people to feel these effects. They may start to feel restless or have trouble sleeping just by drinking one cup of coffee.

Other factors that vary the amount of caffeine a person can consume with few side effects include a person’s body mass, their age, any medication and certain health conditions.

Pregnancy

According to Public Health, there are mixed results on whether a pregnant woman who drinks a high quantity of caffeine is at risk of miscarriage. However, it is known that the fetus is highly sensitive to caffeine, which passes through the placenta. The fetus is not able to metabolize the caffeine very quickly. For these reasons pregnant women are advised to keep their coffee intake very low, perhaps as low as one cup a day.

Metabolic syndrome

Daily News explains about a study linking coffee consumption with metabolic syndrome. The study states that a study of mice has shown that if a person drinks between five to six cups of coffee per day, they could develop this syndrome. The risk factors include large waist size, high blood pressure and high triglyceride levels. When a person has the risk factors and drinks coffee at the rate states they become more susceptible to chronic diseases like diabetes and stroke.

Within limits, caffeine can be beneficial to some people. It has been shown, in moderation, to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and prostate cancer. However, the important words to remember are it is fine in moderation, as are most things. As long as its consumption is controlled, most people will not be harmed.