Lots of Coffee...Tell me how long I'm going to live

[Guest]

Well, I started drinking coffee about 2 years ago (im currently 19), and I found out about espresso about half a year ago.


I LOVE IT.

Well, I purchased an espresso machine, and I drink about 15-20 espresso shots a day.

Since starting to do this, I have lost weight (good!), and i feel better overall. In fact, I feel great! Some of my friends are concerned about this, so I am here for you opionions. I have no problems sleeping, even right after a double or triple shot.

My question is: Is this really harmful? Comments?

 

[Rowley]

You may be building up a tolerance to caffeine, maybe an addiction?

Some people can take 2x or 3x as much coffee caffeine then others. You should realy ask your doctor if you are physically healthy, I wouldn't worry though, the first sign of caffeine addiction is the caffeine psychossys effect (tempermental, agitated, sleep difficulties, etc..). The only other problem you could be having you have to answer yourself. "Is coffee (or caffeine) causeing an impact in my life" then you decide wether or not the change in lifestyle is beneficial or not.

Best bet is for your to relax, see a doctor to prove your physical health, and decide for yourself if drining alot of coffee is beneficial to your life.

I myself will drink about 1 or 2 pots of coffee a day if I can have my way. =D

 

[topher]

Sebastion Bach drank 60 to 80 cups a day...and wrote the coffee contata..

 

[NW JAVA]

hehe I know one reason caff doesn't have an " effect" ...just ask me.. Or read my post in the HEALTH area about ADD/ADHD.

 

[COFFEEISGOOD]

My understanding is that espresso does not have as much caffeine as a traditional brew because the process is so much faster, but does anyone have more specific ratio information.(How many shots= 1 cup) After watching the movie Supersize me for the second time, I'm trying to cut back on the caffeine and sugar a bit and am trying to find out just how many shots I can have per day and still get a bit more healthy :wink: !!! Thanks....

 

[amCoffeepmTea]

Espresso

I don't know if this is what you were asking, but these numbers came from about.com's coffee section:

Amount of caffeine:
Double espresso (2oz) 45-100 mg
Brewed coffee (8 oz) 60-120 mg

There's a caffeine comparison chart here: http://coffeetea.about.com/library/blcaffeine.htm

And these numbers, came from http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/caffeine/caffeine_info1.shtml#2
Espresso (1.5-2 oz) 100 mg
Percolated (7 oz) 140 mg
Drip (7 oz) 115-175 mg

The numbers confuse me. Wouldn't you think a double espresso would have more caffeine in it than a "regular" espresso? Weird.

 

[COFFEEISGOOD]

Thanks so much for the info! Espresso has a little more caffeine than I thought , but I'm down to about 4 shots a day, so I'll be OK!

 

[cindy]

you are not alone

i dont know if i can call it suffer, but i do suffer from the same problem.
i drink the same amount every day and im doing fine.

coffee doesnt keep me from sleeping and it doesnt keep me from falling a
asleep at the wrong times.
i run a restaurant and i study law part time...so i need to stay awake.

the coffee doesnt do it but i am not able to study if the perculator is more than 10 ft away from my desk. i drink most of my coffee at night and as i said it doesnt affect my sleeping at all.

im planning on outliving the roaches so im sure ill be a hundred or more (im only 20 now, only 80 years to go). so, go ahead and drink your coffee but check out your blood pressure every once and again and as soon as you start getting headaches, STOP!

 

[Chris Kay]

i get headaches when i do STOP! :wink:

 

[CCafe]

Quit worrying about your health. As soon as you walk outside and take a deep breath, you have already breathed in more contaminates then you drank in your coffee. You are more likely to die from a car crash, or getting some type of cancer. People worry too much about the little things.

If you have ever seen the commercials where they say “this person diets and exercises but still has a cholesterol level of 265â€

 

[wmeanssh]

You shouldn't worry too much. You're only 19!

I run and operate a small donut shop in La Mesa California and served to an 87 year-old customer who drank 6 shot of espresso, smoked, and ate 3-4 donuts every day for breakfirst. He is the current champion of our ballroom dancing competition!

 

[CCafe]

George Burns lived to be 100 and smoked several cigars a day up to his death. I believe in his case God preferred his performance.

 

[JenniferRN]

As a RN, I simply cannot ignore this forum! Although you are all right in that each individual need not obsess about each detail of his/her health, I don't think we should ignore potential risk factors! Too much caffeine CAN be harmful, just like too much of anything else. Americans, in my opinion, need to practice more moderation.

Prescription drug commercials on TV are absolutely ridiculous. They are aimed at the general TV watcher who is uneducated about medicine and health. When most people exercise and eat as recommended, they do NOT need additional medication. But, these ads would like you to think that is the case ("why exercise and eat right if it doesn't work? It's probably out of my control anyways. I'll just use medication").

Sorry to get on a soap box, here I just think that if a young person has a legitimate question about ingesting too much caffeine more of us should encourage her to see a physician and not use the exception to the rule as an example (Bach, Burns, your grandpa who ate bacon everyday LOL).

 

[CCafe]

I'm been drinking coffee since I was a kid, I was diagnosed with ADD and put on a dose of Ritalin powerful enough to sedate a few elephants, (this was back in the 80's when they thought more was better :shock: ) Now I drink 4 to 5 16oz cups before I switch to something else such as espresso or pop (soda).

ADD, bahumbug! I'm fine, is it the coffee maybe, maybe not. I am more energetic and feel better about myself! The problem with our society is that we need that all curing pill. If it doesn't work will make one better and so on! What we really need to do is get all these people off antidepressants and take them outside and show them life isn't about being stuck inside dropping pills and watching soaps.

Too many people are looking for the escape goat. It’s not about caffeine, or nicotine, or the food we eat. It’s about our society as a whole. If I don't feel good go to the doctor and get a prescription. It is just like the commercial, work harder, skip your vacation and take a pill!

If you know your fat, and eating makes you happy, why stop! Because America says you have too. So you stop, now your depressed. You pop some pills and from there everything will start to go down hill.

What I am saying is just live your life normally. If you’re happy drinking coffee who cares about the side affects. You are more likely to get killed driving to work then dieing from drinking 2 cups a coffee everyday for the rest of your life!

The reason I use the exception is simple, of all the people that are living past 100 and are active. How many of them are popping all the pills that doctors prescribe. The last guy I talked to that was even close was in his mid 90’s. He told me straight up, if I wanted to live that long, be happy. Don’t eat too much, don’t drink too much, and don’t pop all those pills.

Personally I think its more genetics then anything. I’m cursed with bad genes. But hey I’m having fun and making the most of it drinking my coffee and waiting till the day that I can finally meet my maker and have good rest and no longer worry about my earthly woes.

 

[scayf]

Don't believe everything a "doctor" tells you

I had angioplasty back in '99 (I'm 48, btw)...when they wheeled me into my room afterwards, the cardiologist came in and had a few words with me. "No more fried foods, no more fatty foods, no more caffeine...well, limit it to three cups a day..."

Big diff between none and three cups/day.

But I really knew I had no use for him when he told me "no more chocolate" (I was stuffing my face with the mini-Tootsie Rolls at the time).