No, You Probably Shouldn ’t Drink 25 Cups of Coffee a Day

Research making the rounds in Monday’s headlines could make you jittery just thinking about it. Drinking up to 25 cups of coffee per day, the headlines say, is still safe for the heart. The research, which was presented at the British Cardiovascular Society’s conference on Monday and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, was based on an analysis of about 8,500 people in the U.K. Compared to those who drank less than a cup of coffee a day, the researchers found, people in the highest tier of consumption—those who averaged five cups a day, but some of whom drank up to 25—did not have a higher risk of arterial stiffness, which can strain the heart and increase the risk of stroke and heart attack. While there’s a long-lasting debate on the topic, plenty of recent research has found health benefits associated with regular coffee consumption, including better heart health and longevity. But most health groups advise adults not to consume more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day (about the amount in four cups of coffee), according to the Mayo Clinic, especially if they’re experiencing side effects like jitteriness, headaches, stomach problems and mood disruptions. So is it really safe to drink about a cup of coffee every hour, 24 hours a day? Alice Lichtenstein, a professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, says data on extremely heavy coffee consumption is scarce, so it’s hard to say for sur...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Diet/Nutrition Source Type: news