Is Your Cup Of Coffee Killing You?

Uh, this is souring our morning cup of coffee just a bit. A new study shows that drinking too much coffee may in fact be very harmful to your health. 

The study, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, states that those who drank more than 28 cups of coffee in a week (that's four cups per day) had an increased risk of death by 21 percent, the Huffington Post reports. But the results were particularly alarming for java lovers less than the age of 55; the study shares that those less than 55 who drank 28 cups of coffe per week had a 50 percent increased death risk. Yikes. 

The observational study followed more than 40,000 people over 16 years; there were about 2,500 deaths during that time, most of them linked back to cardiovascular disease. However, it's important to note that those who drank four or more cups of coffee per day were also more likely to smoke and had "lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness." It's clear that the study may lead to more questions on the long-term effects of coffee, despite the numerous studies linking coffee to positive health benefits.