Surprise. Caffeine might not be as bad as you think it is.
“It?s so controversial. Everyone would like to believe that caffeine is bad, but it?s very hard to prove,” said Anne Arundel Medical Center cardiologist Dr. Kofi Essandoh.
Essandoh said you would have to drink massive amounts of coffee ? 10 cups or more daily ? in order to cause significant body changes such as tachycardia and arrhythmia. However, the risk of inducing an arrhythmia, or disorder of the heart?s normal beating, that is deadly or even potentially fatal is very low.
“It?s a matter of dose,” Essandoh said. “You need to be consuming a lot of caffeine to make it significant.” Some people are sensitive to the “coffee jitters,” which are a direct result of arrhythmia.
If you do start to experience that, Essandoh recommends reducing your daily dosage of caffeine immediately. For more information, visit www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/caffeine.html.
