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If you've had more than one cup of coffee today, you're skating on thin ice: A new study found it could be bad for your health, and even KILL you.
Researchers at the University of Toronto found that around half of us have a genetic variant that helps us metabolize caffeine quickly, which is good.
But if you're in the other half of people who DON'T have that gene, drinking too much coffee might be punishing your kidneys. And over the long term, it can lead to kidney disease.
A separate study they did in 2006 also found that people who don't metabolize caffeine well are at a higher risk for heart attacks. So drinking too much coffee could be putting you at risk in more ways than one.
There's no cheap and easy way to see if you have the gene. Even if you don't get a huge buzz from caffeine, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. And being able to fall asleep after a cup of coffee at night doesn't mean anything either.
Some DNA tests can tell you if you have the gene, but they're pricey, around $200. So the lead researcher says to just assume you DON'T metabolize caffeine well, and drink no more than one cup of coffee a day.
Source: Toronto Star