When should you stop drinking coffee?

Experts say a few cups of coffee a day can be fine for most people. However, some people with underlying health conditions should be more cautious.

Studies show that the long-term health effects of coffee include a reduced risk of cancer, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes. But people with high blood pressure who drink a lot of coffee have been linked to an increased risk of dementia, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease.

Coffee has many benefits but some people should not drink it.

So where is the line between the benefits of a morning cup of coffee and the harms of drinking too much?

NBC News reviewed several studies and spoke with doctors and nutritionists. They agreed that coffee is safe and healthy, but people with inflammatory conditions may experience more negative side effects.

Maximum number of cups of coffee per day

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that people limit their daily caffeine intake to 400 mg (about 4-5 cups of coffee). According to the FDA, most people do not experience serious side effects from caffeine — such as irregular heartbeat, vomiting, seizures, and diarrhea — unless they consume 1.2 grams, or about 12 cups, per day.

However, according to expert Tricia Psota, a member of the American Dietetic Association, consuming a maximum of 400mg of caffeine per day sometimes causes unwanted side effects such as restlessness, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

Some people can easily drink four to five cups a day, but others have a lower caffeine tolerance and are more susceptible to side effects. Psota says her body can’t handle more than one or two cups of coffee a day.

For those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, Psota recommends not consuming more than 200 mg/day (about 2 cups), as caffeine can be passed to the baby through breast milk. Research has shown that caffeine consumption during pregnancy can lead to low birth weight.

Nikki Cota, a nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, said that drinking coffee every day can also pose risks for people with heart disease or diabetes if they add sugar or cream. Cota knows that the drinks contain up to 50 grams of sugar - this is the amount of added sugar that the FDA recommends for an entire day.

According to Vietnamnet