You may want to think twice before consuming your next cup of joe.
Scientists from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are brewing up trouble by claiming coffee drinkers could be at a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
Their new study, published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, examined 372 blood metabolites in 3,811 different people. Metabolites are small molecules made or used when the body breaks down food, drugs or chemicals.
It turns out that 56% of the people who had their blood metabolites examined by the researchers were daily coffee drinkers, and 32% drank more than two cups per day.
During their examinations, the researchers discovered one coffee-related metabolite that could help kidneys become healthier. However, alarmingly, they also found two other coffee-related metabolites linked to chronic kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, involves the gradual loss of kidney function. Damaged kidneys cause toxic waste and extra fluid to accumulate, potentially leading to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
According to the CDC, about 37 million Americans — one in seven adults — are estimated to have CKD.
The new findings “surprised” Johns Hopkins researchers, given that a report published just six months ago concluded that there was “a beneficial effect of coffee on kidney function.”
Dr. Casey Rebholz, one of the co-authors of the new study, told the Independent that one of the coffee-related metabolites linked to kidney disease also contained compounds associated with cigarette smoking.
He said further research is needed, so coffee lovers may not need to dump their double espressos just yet.
Additionally, a plethora of other research has asserted that coffee can be beneficial to a person’s overall health.
In July, researchers with Northwestern University published findings in the Nutrients journal claiming “habitual consumption of one or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 10% decrease in risk of COVID-19.”
In June, findings released in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMC Public Health found that consuming three to four cups of joe a day may reduce the risk of liver cancer and other alcohol-related liver diseases.
And in February, a report in the journal Circulation concluded that drinking at least one cup of coffee a day could help reduce the risk of heart failure.