Who doesn’t love a coffee right! Do any of you guys feel slightly concerned about how much coffee you drink? Well the latest study published in ‘Food and Chemical Toxicology’ found you can safely consume 400mg of caffeine per day. This is about 4 cups of coffee.
So what does it mean by ‘safe’ consumption. After reviewing 15 years of conflicting data, they found that 4 cups of coffee has no negative effects on calcium intake, bone health, heart health of behaviour as well as no effect on reproduction and development. BUT REMEMBER ……
Coffee is not a generic dose for everyone, just like calories etc. Just like alcohol, each person’s ability to consume caffeine and tolerate side effects like the ‘jitters’ and ‘anxiety’ depends on their sensitivity, height and weight.
If you drink too much caffeine, you can experience some really uncomfortable side effects including insomnia, migraines and irritability according to The Mayo Clinic. If you’re under the age of 55, drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day was found to be associated with an increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease.
On the plus side there is evidence that coffee might actually reverse liver damage from alcohol. A study from Southampton Uni showed drinking 2 extra cups of coffee a day lowered their chances of developing cirrhosis of the liver by up to a huge 44%. It can ease depression in some women and can protect against cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Also even though scientists are unsure, coffee can help lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
HOWEVER IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, or are planning to have a baby then 3 cups maximum if you are and even less if you are planning to be pregnant as a study by the National Institute of Health in 2016 links pre pregnancy caffeine consumption to an increased risk of miscarriage.
