A new study reached a conclusion that combined the benefits and harms of coffee, as it said that drinking a cup of coffee at least a day may make you move more, but you sleep less.
“The vast majority of research on this topic has been observational, which means we look and see what happens to people who drink coffee and who don’t, which is severely restricted in possibility,” said the study’s lead author, cardiologist Gregory Marcus.
The authors recruited 100 healthy adults aged 39, on average, provided the participants with step and sleep trackers, continuous blood glucose monitors and EKG machines, and randomly let the participants drink as much coffee as they wanted for two days.
The authors found that on coffee-drinking days, participants took an average of 1,058 steps more than they did on abstinent days, but on those days sleep was affected, with participants getting 36 minutes less sleep.
Marcus said the researchers found no evidence of a significant relationship between coffee consumption and premature atrial contractions.
“People who experience premature atrial contractions are at increased risk of developing a clinically severe heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation,” he added.
But drinking more than one cup a day resulted in 50 percent more premature ventricular contractions, compared to days without coffee.
“So this provides some compelling evidence that the experience of cutting out coffee may be beneficial for those individuals who experience unpleasant palpitations,” Marcus said.
He added that when people drink coffee, they may be more motivated to exercise.
But he said people “should not rely on high doses of caffeine as a way to boost workouts, as high doses can lead to jitters”.