If your go-to jolt of energy comes from a convenience store canned drink, you might want to think again. New research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that energy drinks can mess with your body more than other caffeinated beverages like soda or coffee. The small study focused on the effects of energy drinks vs. coffee on the heart. The results were concerning. Scientists gave half of the participants a common commercially-available energy drink. The drink had four ounces of sugar as well as 320 milligrams of caffeine — the same as drinking about four cups of coffee. The other half of the volunteers received a carbonated soda-like beverage with the same about of caffeine, mixed with lime juice, cherry syrup. Over the next 24 hours, researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure and heart activity. After six days, the participants were given the other beverage. Drinking either beverage…
Four cups of coffee probably safe, new study confirms
Despite nearly two decades of conflicting research on how much coffee we can safely consume, people still love their morning cup of joe. And that would be fine, if our society stopped there. But collectively, we have a tendency to take things to the extreme. “Bring it!” responded one Los Angeles newscaster to an announcement that “the world’s strongest coffee” will now be available in the U.S. Just one cup of the South African based product, Black Insomnia (now also available on Amazon), has the equivalent of taking three Five Hour Energy shots. So how much is too much? Is there even a place for such a coffee in a responsible daily diet at all? A new study published in the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology claims to have settled the great caffeine debate once and for all. Researchers combed through and compiled data from 5,000 articles published over a span of 15…