A new, huge, study out of Australia has linked excess coffee consumption* to increased risk of dementia or stroke.If you’re brewing a pot just for you on a regular basis, it may be time to reign yourself in. Below are a few tips to reduce your coffee intake:

• Keep a record for a week or so to assess your coffee consumption. How much are you actually drinking?
• Don’t go cold turkey. Caffeine withdrawal is no “cup of tea” and may cause a wicked headache, nausea, and other uncomfortable symptoms. Reduce your intake by 1 cup per day.
• Set a limit of 2 to 3 cups per day if you’re drinking too much coffee. 
• Drink 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of coffee you consume. Excess caffeine from coffee and other sources can leave you high and dry.
• Switch to water instead of any caffeinated drink (including coffee) after 2 PM. Too much caffeine can lead to insomnia.
• Monitor how much you spend at coffee houses. Imagine how much you might save if you kick the coffee habit?

By Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LDReferences:

1. Poole R, Kennedy OJ, Roderick P, Fallowfield JA, Hayes PC, Parkes J. Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes. BMJ. 2017 Nov 22;359:j5024. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5024. Erratum in: BMJ. 2018 Jan 12;360:k194. 
2. Kitty Pham, Anwar Mulugeta, Ang Zhou, John T. O’Brien, David J. Llewellyn & Elina Hyppönen (2021) High coffee consumption, brain volume and risk of dementia and stroke, Nutritional Neuroscience, DOI: 1080/1028415X.2021.1945858

*Six cups or more per day