US Adults’ Coffee Calories Rose Nearly 40% From 2003 to 2018

Researchers at Tufts University analyzed dietary data from eight consecutive National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles, covering 2003–2018. The nationally representative analysis included about 30,000 adults aged 20 years and older, each of whom completed two 24-hour dietary recalls. The researchers assessed coffee intake and estimated calories from ingredients added to coffee.

Average coffee consumption remained approximately 13 ounces per day, but reported calories from coffee rose from 43 to 60 per day, an increase of nearly 40%. In 2018, non-dairy creamer contributed an average of 18.5 calories per day, compared with 16 from sugar and 11 from dairy milk. Non-dairy creamer intake increased from 3.37 grams per day in 2003 to 8 grams in 2018; non-dairy milk intake also rose, from 0.27 to 2.45 grams per day.

The findings describe changes in reported consumption, not effects on health outcomes. Dietary recalls may be affected by recall error and day-to-day variation, and ingredient amounts in some premixed drinks were estimated using USDA food databases. The study does not establish that these changes caused adverse health effects.