Is coffee healthy or not? Here's how much you should drink — and how much is too much

Whether it's an iced coffee on a summer morning, a hot cup before work or a warm latte on a snowy day, there is no doubt that Americans love coffee – or at least its caffeine. We use it to wake up, stay focused and get work done.

But two age-old questions about the world's most widely used psychoactive substance linger: How much coffee is too much? And is it actually good for your health? Studies around the world have attempted to address coffee's health effects to varying results. One study will say coffee is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, while a health professional will say it can lead to higher risk of the condition. When it comes to a drink downed by roughly two-thirds of American adults each day, answers to such simple questions are surprisingly elusive. First, go easy on cream and sugar As long as you limit cream and sugar, coffee isn't fattening like other caffeine-based substances such as energy drinks and soda. The calorie content in a plain cup of brewed coffee is next to nothing, and there's no fat either. But not everyone drinks their coffee black, as any Starbucks menu suggests. Loading up a coffee with too much cream or sugar can drown out some of the positive health associations it provides. “We know that sugar has adverse effects,” Penny Kris-Etherton, a nutrition professor at Penn State University, told the American Heart Association. “Even if you add sugar and don’t exceed your calorie needs, you’re still negating some of the benefits because sugar is a negative food ingredient.” Does coffee cause cancer?: California says those ominous warning signs about coffee being linked to cancer can be taken down How much coffee is too much? There's ongoing dissent in the health community about how much coffee one should drink. Among recent studies, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded in March that six eight-ounce cups or more per day can increase risk of cardiovascular disease by 22%. The study examined nearly 350,000 individuals.