Drinking Too Much Coffee
What Are The Risks To Your Health?
Drinking too much coffee is a habit that can be harmful, but it nevertheless affects a majority of the population. Coffee is one of the most consumed drinks after water in most part of the world.
Whether in the morning upon waking up with breakfast, at midday after a meal, or even during the afternoon break, and in any form (espresso, filter coffee, latte, etc.), the coffee accompanies us every day.
It therefore seems important to know how to regulate your consumption, so as not to endanger your health.
The risks of excessive coffee consumption
Unfortunately for coffee lovers, it presents certain risks, only if consumed excessively, the dose not to exceed being set at 4 cups per day. Beyond this dose, the benefits completely disappear and the risks are indeed present. And the most well-known risk of all is certainly sleep disruption. It is indeed no secret to anyone (and it is also one of the reasons why coffee is so popular): caffeine, contained in coffee, is a stimulating substance that keeps our brain alert, and can therefore cause, if ingested shortly before falling asleep, sleep problems such as insomnia.
Coffee also affects our fatigue more generally, since in addition to hurting our sleep, it can also reduce our ability to absorb iron, which then leads to increased fatigue.
High doses of caffeine also pose a direct danger to our physical health. Drinking too much coffee increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 22%, and also promotes high blood pressure. Overconsumption of this drink can also, in extreme cases, lead to a reduction in brain size and therefore increase susceptibility to dementia.
Drinking too much coffee also prevents proper digestion: caffeine stimulates the production of gastric acid in the stomach, which can cause unpleasant symptoms such as heartburn, gastric reflux, or even nausea.
Finally, excessive coffee consumption can, in some people, cause restlessness. Being, in fact, energizing, caffeine increases the level of stress and anxiety for some, which causes a feeling of restlessness.
The ideal consumption? No more than 400 mg of caffeine per day
The line between healthy consumption and excessive consumption, however, remains quite thin. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) advises not to exceed 400 mg of caffeine per day or three to four cups of coffee, depending on how the coffee is made and the machine used ( coffee maker). piston or espresso machine ). However, everyone is free to adapt this recommendation according to their
own feelings. Indeed, caffeine does not have the same effects on all people without distinction and it is in this sense important to pay attention to the small signs in your body, which suggest that coffee hurts us.
Thus, according to the WHO, signs such as tremors, a certain nervousness, tachycardia, flushing, acceleration of speech, or even nausea and dehydration, show that there is most certainly an excessive consumption of coffee.
