Research In Korea
Researchers in Korea, studying 25,000 males and females have concluded that people who drink 3 to 5 cups of coffee each day were less likely to show signs of heart disease. The research was published in the journal Heart in March 2015 and has raised again the questions of whether coffee is good for the heart or not.
In the research men and women were scanned to look at the health of their hearts. In coronary heart disease the coronary arteries become clogged by the build-up of fatty material within their walls. An early clue to problems can be the presence of calcium in the walls of the arteries.
In this research I in 10 of those scanned showed signs of calcium deposits. The researchers then looked at the scan results alongside peoples coffee consumption. Other issues taken into account were smoking, exercise and family history. The results were that those who drank a few cups of coffee each day were less likely to show calcium deposits. There is clearly a need for more research but the results are certainly interesting in the debate over whether coffee is good or bad for the heart.
The British Heart Foundation have welcomed the findings but have also been quick to point that people within South Korea have a different diet and lifestyle to those in the UK.
But it does continue to raise the issue over the health benefits or not of coffee and caffeine. So what are the recommendations over how much caffeine we should consume within a day?
Daily Caffeine Limits
The UK does not set a caffeine limit but in the US experts say you should not consume more than 400mg of caffeine a day. How does this translate into what we actually drink?
Well one mug of instant coffee contains 100mg of caffeine, an espresso will contain 50mg of caffeine. So in summary if we follow US guidelines you wouldn’t want to be drinking more than 8 espressos a day.