I drink two cups of tea or coffee every day—usually coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. I drink them mostly for taste, not as a stimulant, except on days when I’m sleep-deprived, such as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
On such days, I might even have a third or fourth cup to keep me awake.
Am I addicted? No, not at all. If my local stores ran out of tea and coffee for a month, I wouldn’t panic. I wouldn’t go crazy. I’d just buy a big lock for the cabinet where I keep my stash of tea and coffee. I probably have a year’s supply of tea and coffee, but only if I keep it away from the rest of my family.
My wife, in particular, loves tea and coffee. She’s the one who got the rest of us hooked. She’s the reason that we’re far more likely to rob a Starbucks than a bank.
Thankfully none of us drinks more than four cups of coffee a day. That would be unhealthy, according to a new study that was presented at the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) Asia conference in New Delhi.
The study, conducted at Zydus Medical College and Hospital in Dahod, India, found that consuming more than 400 mg of caffeine per day on most days of the week puts you at risk for heart disease. You get 400 mg of caffeine by drinking four cups of coffee, or 10 cans of Coke, Pepsi or other soda, or two energy drinks such as Redbull and Monster.
“Regular caffeine consumption could disturb the parasympathetic system, leading to elevated blood pressure and heart rates,” said Nency Kagathara, lead author of the study.
The parasympathetic system is the part of your nervous system that helps your body relax. The sympathetic system, on the other hand, puts your body on alert, producing a “fight or flight” response (not to be confused with the “fight on flight” response that your body produces when someone steals your airline seat).
But if your body is always on alert, such as when you consume too much caffeine, it can cause health problems.
“Our study sought to determine the effects of chronic caffeine consumption on heart health, specifically the recovery of heart rate and blood pressure,” Kagathara said.
The researchers defined chronic caffeine consumption (CCC) as the intake of any caffeinated drinks five days per week for more than one year. That means, of course, that most adults in the world have CCC. I consume caffeine seven days a week, 365 days a year, so I might have CCCC (chronic caffeine consumption compulsion).
The researchers evaluated a randomized group of 92 people aged 18 and 45, checking their blood pressure and heart rates. They found that chronic caffeine consumption at 400 mg daily raised an individual’s heart rate and blood pressure over time, while chronic caffeine consumption of more than 600 mg daily significantly elevated heart rates and blood pressure.
“Due to its effect on the autonomic nervous system, regular caffeine consumption could put otherwise healthy individuals at risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular events,” said Kagathara.
These “other cardiovascular events” are not the type of events that you want to put on your calendar. They’re events that you want to avoid, such as heart disease, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and dementia.
But it’s going to be hard to convince people such as Master Gunny, who left this comment on a Yahoo article about the new study: “I'm 74 years old, have been drinking coffee since I was a mid-teen and consume around twelve cups a day and I'm in better shape than many men 30 years younger. I still run three miles every other day rain or shine, workout on the days I don't run and can still put in a day working my horse farm if needed.”
Three miles every other day? Well, Master Gunny, imagine how many miles you’d be able to run if you didn’t drink so much coffee.
I once ran one mile after drinking three cups of coffee. I planned to run five miles, but after running for half a mile, I ran straight back home to use the bathroom.
