TIME Food & Beverage

Drinking 4 Coffees a Day Is Bad for You, Study Says

coffee-beans
Getty Images

Less than 400 mg of caffeine per day is safe

A lot of caffeine is bad for your health, according to a new study, and many people are consuming too much of it.

A new report by the European Food Safety Authority says that more than 400 mg of caffeine a day, or about four cups of coffee, is linked to heart problems, insomnia and panic attacks. This safe amount of caffeine is halved for pregnant women.

Many countries recommend about this amount of caffeine intake, but the problem, according to BBC, is that people still have too much. An EFSA spokesperson gave an example to BBC: “If you have a bar of dark chocolate at 11:00 and espresso with lunch, a tea at 16:00 and vodka-Red Bull in the evening – that’s a lot of caffeine over the day.”

[video id=JLVLyuEq]
Tap to read full story

Your browser is out of date. Please update your browser at http://update.microsoft.com


YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.

The TIME Team