The Mayo Clinic has recently published the results of a study that has linked a four-cups-of-coffee-a-day habit to an increased death risk. The research ties drinking 28 cups per week or more to a 50 percent increase in mortality risk in people aged 55 or younger.
The co-author of the new study, Dr. Carl J. Lavie of the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, said the latest National Coffee Drinking Study found 60 percent of U.S. adults drink coffee every day. On average coffee drinkers consume just over three cups a day.
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The study looked at past data from 1979 and 1998, over which period the researchers examined a total of 43,727 participants, consisting of 33,900 men and 9,827 women. During the 17-year median follow-up period there were 2,512 deaths, consisting of 87 percent men, 12 percent women, and with 32 percent of those caused by cardiovascular disease.
People under 55 who drank more than 28 cups per week were more like to die of almost any cause than people who drank less. Women were twice as likely to die from any cause and men were 56 percent more likely, compared to people who drank less. Even controlling for cigarette smoking, which is generally the big confounder in coffee studies, did not totally eliminate the link.
The findings just add to the confusion around this adult beverage according to Lavie.
"There continues to be considerable debate about the health effects of caffeine, and coffee specifically, with some reports suggesting toxicity and some even suggesting beneficial effects," Lavie said.
"We're not saying that coffee is the cause of death; we just noticed coffee is associated with increased risk of death," Lavie told the Daily News.
Importantly, drinking fewer than four cups of coffee a day over time didn't show any health effects, positive or negative. "The low doses seem to be very safe," Lavie said. "And that's still a fair amount of coffee."
However, due to the proliferation of supersized offerings from coffee chains, what people think of as "a cup" today may be more like two or three.
"I do think it would be reasonable to use some caution at doses of four cups a day and above, and realize that a cup is probably a 6- to 8-oz. cup and not the grandes and supergrandes that are now available," Lavie said. "It appears to be safe in small to moderate amounts, and there may even be some benefits."
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