Drinking four cups of coffee a day may endanger health in under-55s, a large study on over 40,000 individuals has claimed.
Scientists have found a greater than 50 per cent increased mortality risk in both men and women younger than 55 years of age who drank more than 28 cups of coffee a week.
The study of more than 40,000 individuals suggests that younger people in particular may need to avoid heavy coffee consumption.
The study found no adverse effects in heavy coffee drinkers aged over 55.
A multicentre research team investigated the effect of coffee consumption on death from all causes and deaths from cardiovascular disease in the Aerobics Centre Longitudinal Study (ACLS) cohort, with an average follow-up period of 16 years and a relatively large sample size of over 40,000 men and women.