The coffee lovers in my Twitter feed rejoiced last week when a new study showed drinking up to 25 cups of coffee a day wouldn’t do any damage to their hearts.
So, as you’re testing out the theory, just remember that when you’re feeling jittery and anxious, with sweaty palms and a racing heart, research shows that’s healthy.
Later that night, when you’re lying in bed and sleep never arrives, and you spend the next day exhausted and barely able to function, you can think about resting easy, that it’s not putting any permanent strain on your heart.
The study found that drinking even large amounts of coffee won’t damage arteries and harm your heart. The new study contradicts the results of previous research that has shown coffee can cause a stiffening of the arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a stroke or heart attack, according to CNN.
The study participants drank an average of five cups of coffee per day, but the results showed there was no damage to the hearts of those who drank up to 25 cups per day.
For context, there’s about 95 milligrams of caffeine in one cup of coffee, 475 milligrams in five cups, and a whopping 2,375 milligrams in 25 cups of java.
For Starbucks fans, according to its listed nutritional information listed online, a grande iced coffee is serving up 165 milligrams of caffeine, while a venti has 235 milligrams, or about 2½ cups of coffee.
So, in theory, someone could drink 10 venti iced coffees from Starbucks a day and still keep their heart health intact.
Another popular coffee chain, Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t list its caffeine content on its nutritional information online.
Even though I’m not entirely buying the results of this recent study, especially considering new research will probably contradict it in the near future, it did come as welcome news for a coffee fan like myself.
I’m typically a twice a day coffee drinker, but still rack my brain each night when I have difficulty falling asleep.
But for me, it’s not so much the taste of coffee that I enjoy. I’ll only drink it if there’s add-ons like flavored syrups and milk mixed in.
Unfortunately, a study that promises vast amounts of coffee won’t damage your heart can’t also ensure that it won’t affect your waistline, especially when it’s sweetened.
Drinking 10, 160-calorie iced coffees (a nutritional estimate for a venti sweetened) a day would translate to 1,600 calories. Just one of those has more than a woman’s daily recommended intake of sugar.
So, be still, my (rapidly) beating heart, all that coffee is good for you (for now), but I can’t promise the same for your neighboring organs.
