THE European Food Safety Authority has found that more than five espressos worth of caffeine a day may be damaging to health.
But it has added that there is no extra risk as a result of combining caffeine and alcohol, thus giving the green light to Irish coffee - a mixture of whiskey, coffee and sugar with cream on top.
The EFSA has said more than five espressos a day, or around 400mg of caffeine, may be damaging to health - heart problems, insomnia and panic attacks are all linked to excess caffeine consumption.
The EFSA added that many people were consuming more than the safe level being unaware of all the different sources of caffeine.
Tea, coffee, energy drinks, soft drinks and chocolate are all common sources of the drug.
The people of Europe are the heaviest consumers of coffee in the world, although Ireland and Britain do not feature particularly high on the chart of coffee consumption worldwide.
The Dutch are the heaviest coffee drinkers, followed by Finland and Sweden. Britain is at number 37, just behind Chile and Israel, while Ireland, despite all those Irish coffees, only appears at no 53 on the list.
See More: Caffeine, European Food Safety Authority
