Excess Coffee May Be Linked To Early Death 220
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."
causation versus correlation (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
Correlation not cause (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.
Re:Correlation not cause (Score:4, 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.
Re:causation versus correlation (Score:5, Interesting)
Contradicting studies (Score:4, Interesting)
As soon as I read the headline, I was reminded of an earlier slashdot article [slashdot.org] 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 [xkcd.com]