Brent Kearney

Nubella Health & Nutrition News is reporting on two studies of over 120,0000 coffee drinkers over a 20 year period. They conclude that even excessive coffee drinking — 6 or more cups per day — carries no increased risk of heart disease. In fact, the opposite was true: excessive coffee drinkers were shown to have a slightly lower risk of heart disease.

These studies come in the wake of a recent Harvard study that identified a coffee metabolizing gene that is apparently absent in some people. Those without it are at higher risk of heart disease when they drink coffee. Given the results of the 20-year, 120,000 person study, one could probably conclude that the absence of this gene is rare.

Previous studies show health benefits, rather than risks, of drinking coffee. These studies, however, fail to take into account the effects that coffee drinking may have on sleep, and the consequences of that.