Coffee enthusiasts can rest assured that their favorite pastime has the backing of scientific evidence.
On Monday, the American Heart Association released what it is calling a scientific statement advising how much coffee is safe to drink for the average person each day.
Energy drinks ‘should be avoided.’
Coffee talk
The nonprofit cited its latest research that may surprise coffee drinkers and caffeine abstainers alike, revealing that a surprising amount of daily caffeine can help fend off a plethora of health issues.
Consuming upwards of 400mg of caffeine per day, or about five 8-ounce cups of black coffee, has been deemed “generally safe for most adults,” according to the American Heart Association.
Its official statement claimed that recent randomized trials linked caffeine intake to lowered risk of several cardiovascular conditions, including heart failure. Caffeine is noted as being good for blood pressure, heart rhythm, lowering cholesterol, and preventing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
This, of course, means not adding sugars, flavors, or cream in these instances.
More precisely, the heart association said that caffeine consumption is associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation but a higher risk of premature ventricular contractions, another type of irregular heartbeat.
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Bean supremacy
The benefits do not extend to extreme caffeine intake seen in other drinks, the organization warned. This includes levels of caffeine in energy drinks or energy shots.
“Energy drink shots may contain 40-69 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce, 3-4 times more caffeine than regular caffeinated coffee,” the association wrote.
“Up to 5 cups of caffeinated coffee per day without added sugars or fillers, is safe and does not increase cardiovascular risk,” said Dr. Gregory M. Marcus, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.
However, Marcus echoed that the high doses of caffeine found in energy drinks may have harmful effects and “should be avoided.”
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Pick-me-up
As Blaze News previously reported, coffee intake is linked to other health benefits as well.
A study tracking over 400,000 people found that two to three cups of coffee per day was linked to a lower risk of mental health disorders. This included lower rates of anxiety and depression.
However, that study claimed the benefits plateau around the fifth cup and then begin to reverse when going beyond.
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