What happens if you drink two or more cups of coffee a day?

 Drinking two or more cups of coffee a day may double the risk of death from heart disease in people with severe high blood pressure (160/100 mm Hg or higher) but not in people with high blood pressure considered severe, research published today shows.  In Journal of the American Heart Association, open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

In contrast, the study found that daily consumption of one cup of coffee and green tea did not increase the risk of heart disease-related death on any blood pressure measure, even though both beverages contained caffeine.  According to the FDA, an 8-ounce cup of green or black tea contains 30-50 milligrams of caffeine, and an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains 80 to 100 milligrams.

Previous research has shown that drinking a cup of coffee a day can help prevent heart attacks by reducing the risk of death after a heart attack and can prevent heart attacks or strokes in healthy people.  In addition, separate studies have suggested that drinking coffee regularly can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and some cancers;  May help control appetite;  It may help reduce the risk of depression or increase alertness, although it's not clear whether this effect is due to the caffeine in coffee or something else.  On the downside, too much coffee can raise blood pressure and cause anxiety, heart palpitations and difficulty sleeping.

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