High Coffee Consumption Linked To Smaller Brain Volume, New Findings Suggest

While some say that coffee increases brain activity, a recent study has found new evidence that actually points to the contrary.

Experts at the University of South Australia discovered that caffeine intake is linked to smaller brain volumes, as well as a higher risk for dementia.

The researchers studied 17,702 UK Biobank participants from the ages of 37 to 73 and analyzed how coffee affected their brains.

It turned out that the people who had more than 6 cups of coffee per day had a worrying 53% increased risk of dementia.

According to Kitty Pham, head researcher and UniSA Ph.D. candidate:

“Coffee is among the most popular drinks in the world. Yet with global consumption being more than nine billion kilograms a year, it’s critical that we understand any potential health implications.

This is the most extensive investigation into the connections between coffee, brain volume measurements, the risks of dementia, and the risks of stroke – it’s also the largest study to consider volumetric brain imaging data and a wide range of confounding factors.

Accounting for all possible permutations, we consistently found that higher coffee consumption was significantly associated with reduced brain volume – essentially, drinking more than six cups of coffee a day may be putting you at risk of brain diseases such as dementia and stroke.”

Despite all this, you probably shouldn’t worry too much, as according to senior investigator and Director of UniSA’s Australian Centre for Precision Health, Professor Elina Hyppönen, two cups of coffee daily should be alright.

She said the following:

“Typical daily coffee consumption is somewhere between one and two standard cups of coffee. Of course, while unit measures can vary, a couple of cups of coffee a day is generally fine.”

Hyppönen, however, warned that people should ‘rethink [their] next drink’ if they’re having more than 6 cups of coffee per day.

What are your thoughts on these findings? Let us know by joining the conversation in the comments and please share this article if you’ve enjoyed the read.

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