Drinking Lots of Coffee Shown to be Linked to Increased Death Risk

For our 25+ years of practice, we have been trying to educate our patients as to the potential risks of coffee drinking, especially for those who love those "extra big" cups from their favorite coffee shop.  A cup of coffee is only 4-5 ounces, not one of those 64 ounce sizes.  I still chuckle when I think of the patient who insisted that he only drank one cup of coffee a day....one 64 ounce cup.

The Mayo Clinic has published the results of a study about the effects of coffee on the health of those who really love to drink lots of it, everyday.  Past studies have shown no significant effects from drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day, although that could be a problem if it were espresso coffee or one used lots of sugar.

You'll notice that the effects of coffee were noted in those who are under 55 years of age.  One does wonder why older people weren't studied, but I guess the researchers had to stop somewhere or, maybe, they figure that we who are over 55 aren't going to last that much longer, anyway.  Please note that the definition of "lots of coffee," is over 28 cups a week.

In a recent study, researchers analyzed data on 43,727 participants from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study to assess the potential association between coffee consumption and risk of death from any cause as well as specific conditions.

Throughout the average 17-year follow-up period, 2,512 deaths were identified. Through data analyses, the researchers found that men who drank over 28 cups of coffee weekly had a higher risk of death from any cause. Furthermore, when analyzing the data by age and adjusting for certain factors such as fitness level, the researchers found that there was a significant link between high coffee consumption, 28 cups or more weekly, and death from any cause for both men and women who were under 55 years-old.

<ahref=http://fixdhealthcare.com>