Drinking 4 cups of coffee a day might not be bad for your health after all
Fortunately for coffee lovers, drinking up to 4 cups of coffee a day might not harm your health.
Researchers came to this conclusion after reviewing more than 740 studies that tackled the effects of caffeine on humans. They found that consuming 400 mg (the equivalent of four cups) was safe for adults, an amount that has been considered the limit for a long time. They said that as long as the quantity isn’t regularly breached, there is no need to worry, according to Daily Mail. The findings remained true for 300 mg for pregnant women – around three cups.
Caffeine has been a controversial substance for a long time. It was found that it can reduce inflammation and boost brain function, but it was also linked to heart disease, dementia and anxiety. Researchers tried to review some of the studies that were carried out between 2001 and 2015, in order to determine what impact caffeine has on health. They observed five effects caffeine has on health: acute toxicity, bone, heart, brain and reproductive.
loading...
Lead author Dr Eric Hentges, executive director of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), said: “This provides evidence that furthers our understanding of caffeine on human health.”
“Also, this provides the research community with data and valuable evidence to support the development and execution of future research on caffeine safety that will impact public health.
“We concluded that the previously-defined levels of caffeine intake in a healthy caffeine consumer (400mg) were not associated with overt, adverse effects.”
“The complete transparency with which the data has been shared will encourage other researchers to build upon this work.”
The European Food Safety Agency said that people who break the advised daily limit of 400 mg caffeine a day face a lot of health risks, from anxiety to heart failure. It also warned against high caffeine intake during pregnancy, as the baby might be underweight. The NHS also says that too much caffeine might lead to a miscarriage or babies with birth defects.
Coffee, however, is not the only food or drink to contain caffeine, so people might be unintentionally going over the recommended limit. A cup of tea contains around 50 mg of caffeine, a can of Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine, while a small bar of plain dark chocolate has up to 50 mg of caffeine.
Loading...