Drink three or four cups of coffee daily, without sugar or rich toppings, if it suits you
Three or four daily cups were associated with about 17% lower mortality than no coffee.
What it takes
Home brewing costs roughly RMB 1–2 daily in China and takes a few minutes per cup.
What you may gain
An umbrella review combined findings from 201 meta-analyses, whose underlying studies were observational. At 3–4 cups/day versus none, all-cause mortality was 17% lower: relative risk 0.83, 95% CI 0.79–0.88.
Context & considerations
The authors stress that nearly all evidence is observational and robust randomized trials are needed to establish causality. The source recommends black coffee, arguing that sugar and rich cream toppings can offset the benefit. This recommendation does not apply to pregnant people or those with arrhythmias, anxiety or insomnia.
Research & references
Poole R, Kennedy OJ, Roderick P, et al. (2017). Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes. BMJ, 359, j5024. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j5024