Relying on that constant caffeine fix throughout the day? Well, the results of a new research might burst your coffee-induced euphoric bubble.
According to the results of this massive new study, drinking over six cups of coffee per day can increase the risk for developing dementia by a worrying 53%!
What’s more, those that overindulged in coffee were also more likely to suffer a stroke. The researchers measured the participants’ brain volume to corroborate their claims, and also confirmed the findings of another study showing that coffee drinking can cause your brain to shrink, albeit reversibly.
The loss of gray matter volume in the brain is something that happens naturally as we age, but too much coffee can speed this process up considerably. As a result, all participants who drank at least six cups of coffee per day (aged 37 to 73) developed an increased risk of dementia and stroke.
This study, conducted by the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, is the biggest of its kind. Counting the 17,702 participants who had their brains scanned with an MRI, there were 398,646 participants in total. Therefore, while any study result should be taken with a grain of salt, these can be considered generally applicable.
That said, no one can imagine a working environment deprived of a cup of coffee. While a work-promoting home office desk design can do wonders for your focus, we all feel like nothing can beat the effect coffee has. In total, Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee per day – that’s less than two cups per adult on average, but there are always extreme cases, especially in a workaholic culture.
But do these findings actually mean that you’ll have to ditch your delicious cold brew or sell your top-notch espresso machine? Fortunately, not really. All you need to do is not exceed the regular dose of one to two cups of coffee per day, and you should be able to reap all the benefits and as little of the risks as possible.
