The famous saying goes: too much of something good is bad. Few other things in this world fit this description as well as coffee. Drunk in moderation, coffee is good for aging, brain health, and cardiovascular health. But if you drink too much of it, coffee becomes very harmful. The largest study to date on the link between brain health and caffeine has reaffirmed this fact. According to the study, excessive coffee drinking increases the risk of dementia and even reduces a person’s brain volume.
1 A new study links an excessive coffee habit to dementia and stroke
The study was conducted at UniSA’s Australian Centre for Precision Health at SAHMRI. The researchers examined 17,702 participants aged 37 to 73 and linked their habits of drinking coffee to brain health. Shockingly, participants who drank 6 or more cups of coffee every day had a 53% higher risk of dementia.
Kitty Pham, the study’s lead researcher, stated the following about their findings, “Taking into account all possible permutations, we consistently found that higher coffee consumption was significantly associated with reduced brain volume – essentially, drinking more than six cups of coffee a day can put you at risk for brain diseases like dementia and stroke.”
2 You don’t have to stop drinking coffee altogether
This research may seem like bad news for all coffee drinkers, but it is important to note that only excessive consumption of coffee carries these increased brain health risks. Another Australian researcher, Professor Elina Hyppönen, stated the following about the study, “This research provides essential insights about heavy coffee consumption and brain health, but as with many things in life, moderation is the key.”
So, instead of giving up your morning cup of coffee, the researchers urge coffee drinkers to consume caffeine in moderation. This is an easy change for most people, especially considering that both dementia and stroke are on the rise worldwide. So as long as you keep your habit of drinking coffee under 6 cups a day and stay hydrated throughout the day, you have nothing to fear. Previous studies also suggest that drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day poses no health risks.
Share this important information with other coffee drinkers!
