FollowIf you are among those people who drink more than 4 cups of coffee every day then there is a chance that you may be at risk of fatal diseases. According to a new study, drinking more than 28 cups of coffee a week may be harmful for people between the age group 20-55.
In the United States, more than 60 percent of adults consume over three cups of coffee daily on an average, according to the National Coffee Association.
The study, which was published on August 15 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, tracked nearly 44,000 people aged 20 to 87 for an average of about 16 years between 1971 and 2002. About three-quarters were men.
During the period, 2,512 people died from all causes. After adjusting their statistics for factors such as smoking and fitness, the researchers found that those who drank more than 28 cups of coffee a week were 21 percent more likely to have died. The risk was 50 percent higher in men and women younger than 55. Men in the same age bracket were less at risk than women, but still had a 1.5 times higher risk of death than moderate drinkers. The study however, failed to speak more about the health hazards of coffee intake in older people who were above 55.
“From the study, it seems drinking one to three cups of coffee a day is dafe,” says the study’s second co-author Xuemei Sui. “Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day may endanger health,” Sui added.
The study says that the caffeine in coffee can elevate heart rate resulting in heart disorders like arrhythmia which may lead to myocardial infaction or more commonly called as heart attack.
It can also result in raise of blood pressure and blood sugar levels. However, the study didn’t find a significant association between coffee consumption and heart problems or cardiac arrest.
Gregg Fonarow, co-chief of clinical cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, says, “Differences in other dietary factors, marital status and other socioeconomic factors that were not considered in the study may account for some deaths.”
As earlier researches suggested that moderate amounts of coffee have some health benefits, such a sparkling revelation needs a depth analysis as the study left many questions unanswered. According to the researchers, it’s possible that coffee might contribute to cancer, but researchers can’t confirm that unless they dig deeper to see what killed participants in the study. It’s also possible that certain genetic factors put heavy coffee drinkers at greater risk, the study suggests.
