Opinion: Tall, grande or venti: How much to beat diabetes?

From washingtonpost.com

The March 5 Health article “Coffee may significantly reduce risk of diabetes” was very informative. However, it would have been more useful if the size of the “cup” had been specified. The Post wrote that health authorities recommend “that healthy adults consume no more than about 400 mg of caffeine daily, which is equivalent to four or five cups of brewed coffee.” That works out to 80 to 100 mg of caffeine per “cup.” The Mayo Clinic says there are about 96 mg in eight ounces of coffee.

Barista Katiana Carter pours a cup of coffee at Cafe Unido in D.C. on Feb. 24. (Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post). (Deb Lindsey/for The Washington Post)

That’s consistent with the standard volume of a fluid-ounce measuring cup. So a “cup” of coffee in the context of health advice is an eight-ounce cup, with a daily limit of four such cups, or 32 ounces. My drip coffee maker considers six ounces to be a “cup,” which only half-fills my usual mug. Using my coffee maker’s markings, the limit would be five cups, or 30 ounces, per day. So far so good. However, at Starbucks, a “short” has eight ounces, a “tall” has 12, a “grande” has 16, and a “venti” has 20 or 24. Two grandes would hit the recommended caffeine limit. Five talls would deliver about double the limit. Cups at Dunkin’ range from 10 to 24 ounces. Size matters.

Maybe calculating one’s individual route to the caffeine limit can provide cognitive benefits along with the power to beat diabetes.

Charles M. Carron, Alexandria 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/10/coffee-diabetes-prevention-cup-size/