What does this mean in practice?

If you're drinking 4-5 cups of coffee daily thinking it's good for your brain, you might want to cut back. The research suggests there's a tipping point where coffee stops helping and starts hurting.

What should you do next?

Stick to 2-3 cups of coffee per day max if cognitive health is a goal. That's about two standard mugs. If you currently drink more, try swapping your afternoon cups for tea — you'll get caffeine without the potential downside. Add at least one cup of tea daily. Green tea is well-studied, but black tea and other types showed benefits too.

Your Daily Coffee Habit Might Protect Your Brain — If You Get the Dose Right

Drink too little coffee and you might miss out on brain protection. Drink too much and you could increase your risk. A new analysis of over 450,000 people tracked for more than a decade reveals the sweet spot.

Bottom line: Coffee helps your brain at 2-3 cups daily, but more than that might backfire. Tea shows benefits at any amount.

What the Research Found

Researchers analyzed 10 studies following 450,000 dementia-free adults for an average of 11.5 years. Coffee drinkers who had 2-3 cups daily (about 300-450 mL) showed the lowest dementia risk. But here's the catch: people drinking 3 or more cups per day actually had higher rates of Alzheimer's disease.