Coffee and Health
- New research from Duke University suggests that caffeine may contribute to an increased risk of heart disease. When healthy coffee-drinkers were given 500 mg caffeine (the same caffeine as found in 4 cups of coffee), their blood pressures increased 3-4 mm Hg, the stress hormone epinephrine increased 32% during the day and they reported feeling more stressed out. The effects were undiminished throughout the evening until bedtime.
- Women who drank more than 4 cups of coffee a day had twice the risk of urinary incontinence compared with women consuming very little, if any, coffee.
- Increased coffee consumption was found to be associated with higher blood levels of homo-cysteine, recently shown to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
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