Coffee has a number of interesting chemical properties in addition to the caffeine. In smaller amounts it has antioxidant and fat burning properties. Larger amounts can over stimulate stress hormones and increase insulin resistance. The antioxidant properties reveal their true nature as oxidants. The caffeine is a load on the liver as well.

My recommendation is one-two cups of regular is okay, maybe even good for you. Then switch to decaf - or do 4 cups of half-caf...

I suppose the answer is "it depends". People's tolerance to caffeine and coffee varies a lot. My mom loved coffee and she said she started drinking it when she was 2. She could drink it all day every day without any ill effects. I have some Dutch friends and they don't even know what I'm talking about when I say that coffee is a "pick me up" or stimulant, they drink it strong immediately before bed and have no problem falling asleep.

For me however, there is a big difference between one cup and more than one cup a day. One cup is a nice way to start the day and gets me going. Adding even a small second cup starts to have bad effects... my sleep patterns get more erratic, I get irritable, and I can get a sour stomach. Also if I have any after about 10-11am, I have trouble sleeping that night. Even having one small cup a day can cause these symptoms, so now I only have it a few times a week, and the other days I either go without or have green tea.

Years ago I had peptic ulcers, and after eliminating one thing after another from my diet, I discovered that quitting coffee for just a few weeks made the ulcers go away completely. I switched to tea and had no ill effects. So it was coffee specifically, not just caffeine, that was the problem.

So if you are asking me, I'd say one cup a day max. Caffeine is a strong stimulant and is habit forming (I don't think it's literally addictive though there are withdrawal symptoms when you quit), so it is probably a good idea to have it in moderation.

I drink almost a quart of very very strong coffee a day - I love it! So far I still lose weight - maybe I should gain - but I've never experienced a problem with it - I'm 64 - never even questioned it - why are you?

I was drinking a lot of coffee for the taste as well, not the caffeine. However, when I stopped cold turkey I found myself getting pretty bad headaches from the caffeine withdrawal! This came as a big surprise to me, so I'm sure the same thing could happen to you.

Yeah, you should seek to cut back however, I wouldn't recommend switching to decaf as the chemicals used to "decaffeinate" are less than desirable. I know a few who drink their usual "morning cup" and then drink this.... http://ayurvedicroast.com/ They tell me while its not exactly like coffee, its the best substitute they have found.

There are competing theories on this and I can find no real answers. Personally, if I do 1 cup a day I run the leanest. When I start to ramp up on the coffee to 3-4 a day then I get a bit of middle fat from the cortisol. And if I cut back down for a week the middle fat goes away. So for me it's a balance on howich it's rampingy cortisol up vs my love of caffiene.

If you sleep well and don't get anxious from it, then I wouldn't worry about it. It's a good source of magnesium and is protective against heavy metals, particularly iron. You should drink it when eating red meat to protect against excess iron. Also good for boosting your metabolism. Of course, people with cortisol issues, etc, should be careful.

I also think it depends on your health/individual issues and your reaction when you drink it. If you have adrenal fatigue, are trying to get pregnant, or frequently suffer from insomnia (as just a few examples of where caffeine intake might be problematic), or you're one of those who gets the 'jitters' if you overdo the coffee, I would limit intake.

I am pretty insensitive to caffeine (don't get 'stimulated', doesn't affect my sleeping patterns), and it seems to help me be a bit more focused - I have ADD-PI and caffeine is often cited as a useful drug to counteract the 'spaciness' associated with this diagnosis. I usually drink 2-8 eight oz cups of tea and/or coffee daily. That amount would incapacitate some of my caffeine-sensitive friends.