Once Again, Science Says Coffee Can Kill You

I’d like to think of myself as a pretty reasonable coffee drinker. One cup in the morning and that’s it, unless I simply can’t make it through the rest of the day without a mid-afternoon latte. But no matter what I do, someone’s always telling me that I’m drinking too much or not enough, and that my coffee is actually full of cockroach pheromones.

Usually coffee news is pretty good: it helps reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, protects your brain, and can even reduce potential suicide risk. But now, drinking too much coffee has been linked with a higher risk of death in people under 55. Uh, thanks, science. WTF.

In a recent study, presented by Mayo Clinic and written by several “leading” cardiologists, researchers observed over 40,000 people between the ages of 20 and 87, who filled out questionnaires about their life habits between 1979 and 1998. After following up with subjects seventeen years later, over 2000 people had died, and researches found an association between the deaths and subjects who had consumed more than 28 cups of coffee a week.

What does this mean? Well, if you’re under 55, you are 21 percent more likely to die if you drink a ton of coffee. That means all nighters, chugging the brown stuff to make it through work, and an endless barrage of coffee dates could someday be fatal. Ugh. First froyo, now this.

I’m hoping the health benefits might still count if I stick to my reasonable habits. But for you coffee junkies out there, maybe think about switching to green tea for now. At least, until science ruins that for you too.

H/T Huffington Post + PicThx Olma