• Question: Is coffee bad if you drink too much? if so what damage can it do?

    Asked by Lauren McCabe to Sinead, Neil, Mark, Florence, Anne on 17 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Mark Collins

      Mark Collins answered on 17 Nov 2015:

      Hi Lauren, there are many health benefits with drinking coffee has it has been demonstrated to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes although as with most things in life-moderation is key. If we drink too much as coffee is a stimulant this will cause our heart to race and this could be dangerous putting us at risk of heart problems or even a heart attack and also too much caffeine and we will not be able to sleep and this causes a whole new set of problems and will really impair our ability to study or to work. Coffee is fine as long as taken in moderation, too much and yes it can be incredibly dangerous.

    • Photo: Florence McCarthy

      Florence McCarthy answered on 17 Nov 2015:

      Until today I would have thought so but there has been a report published today which claims that 5 cups of coffee a day leads to a longer life span, so watch this space. One of the biggest concerns with over consumption of coffee is the dehydrating effect it causes which will lead to lots of complications.

    • Photo: Sinead Balgobin

      Sinead Balgobin answered on 18 Nov 2015:

      Coffee does contain compounds which are beneficial to your health, but like with almost everything too much can be dangerous. Caffeine is a stimulant (it’s technically a psychoactive drug) and can be used in medicine, but its side effects include high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety and dehydration. It is possibly addictive, and some health organisations suggest that pregnant women restrict the amount of caffeine they ingest.

      Really, it’s ok, as long as you don’t have a 10 cups a day habit (or the equivalent in energy drinks). I’d probably go for a lot less as a adolescent too, since your body and brain are finishing off developing and you don’t want to harm yourself.

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