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Excess Coffee May Be Linked To Early Death

Posted by Soulskill on from the not-enough-coffee-may-be-linked-to-early-morning-violence dept.

Mr.Intel writes "Should we believe it? Those of us under 55 who drink a lot of coffee – more than four cups per day – may be at greater risk of an early death. And not just death from heart problems, but death from all causes. The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings (abstract), followed people for almost two decades, and found that in both sexes, younger people were more likely to die of anything than people who drank less."

5 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. causation versus correlation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    if you are the kind of person who drinks that much coffee...

    anyway it's not clear that coffee is the problem

    1. Re:causation versus correlation by cusco · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Most shocking thing to me is that 4 cups of coffee a day is considered "a lot of coffee". Of course I live in Seattle so my view may be a bit skewed.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  2. Correlation not cause by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Possible correlation to people who drink a lot of coffee and people who work crazy hours/lots of stress/not much sleep/eat poorly/etc..

    My excessive coffee drinking is a symptom of my shitty lifestyle.

    1. Re:Correlation not cause by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Possible correlation to people who drink a lot of coffee and people who work crazy hours/lots of stress/not much sleep/eat poorly/etc..

      My excessive coffee drinking is a symptom of my shitty lifestyle.

      I was a serious caffeine addict for the better part of a year, while putting in 14-16 hour days - yeah, I think the lack of sleep alone, plus the spice of stress, was doing quite a bit of damage. Now I only have a little now and then, preferring tea. Life is better.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. Contradicting studies by LateArthurDent · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As soon as I read the headline, I was reminded of an earlier slashdot article from last year.

    In the linked NIH study, drinking 3 or more cups of coffee a day was associated with a lower risk of death. From all causes. This study is probably a follow up to the earlier study, and they came to the opposite conclusion.

    Conclusion: not enough studies to change your daily habits one way or another. Obligatory xkcd