According to this doctor, there are a number of habits and behaviours that should be avoided to lead the healthiest lifestyle – and drinking coffee can sometimes be one of them.
A doctor has warned that this unhealthy habit when it comes to drinking coffee could negatively affect our health.
Coffee is one of the nation’s favourite drinks, with around 100 million cups of the stuff consumed in the UK every single day. But while its known to have some great health benefits, such a reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and contributing to weight loss, one doctor has claimed it could be a detriment to one of the most important aspects of our wellbeing, reports the Express.
Doctor Poonam Desai, who goes by @doctoranddancer on TikTok, shared a video with her followers outlining why people should be wary of drinking coffee after a certain time in the day. Addressing her than 22,000 followers, Dr Desai explained that she cuts off her coffee intake after 12pm every day becuase of one specific reason. She explained: “Caffeine has a half-life of five to six hours and could still be lingering in your system close to bedtime, preventing us from falling asleep or staying asleep. So I really try to avoid any caffeinated beverages in the afternoon.”
While it may not seem too alarming on the surface, sleep deprivation has been linked to a host of serious chronic health issues including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression. According to the NHS, a third of UK adults will experience difficulty sleeping during at least one period of their lives.
Doctor Desai’s advice is also backed by numerous research studies. In particular, a study published in the journal of Science Translational Medicine in 2015 showed the drinking the equivalent caffeine to that in a double espresso can push the body clock back by an entire hour and has similar effects on the body to jet lack experienced when travelling between time zones.
The expert also shared a number of other rules she follows in order to maintain her health, including not drinking alcohol anymore, claiming: “No amount of alcohol is safe for our health.” Alcohol is too associated with many health issues, some life threatening, including high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, liver disease and digestive issues, say the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. It also had a close link to a range of cancer, including of the breast, mouth, throat, oesophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
She also explained that she doesn’t use plastic containers to store her food due to the risk of chemical contaminants, or “endocrine disruptors”, in them that can leech into food, especially when heated. The National Institute of Environmental Health Services describes endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), as chemicals that may mimic, block, or interfere with the body’s hormones, which are part of the endocrine system.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, EDCs have been linked to a number of health problems like reproductive issues, increased cancer risk and immune and nervous system disturbance.
The doctor also advised people to avoid taking late night red eye flights, again to mitigate sleep depravation, and also recommends that people eat at least five different plant foods each and every day.
