For many of us, a morning coffee or caffeinated drink is an essential way to start the morning. But too much of a good thing can be a bad thing?

Although drinking small amounts can help your metabolism, drinking too much could be doing much more to your body than you realise.

A new study has found that your favourite drink might be leading to weight gain, as well as a variety of other issues.

To find out about your caffeine habits, I took to the street of

Melbourne and asked students how much coffee or energy drinks they consume in a day.

Kathleen O’Connor spoke to Merlin Thomas, the head of Biochemistry for Diabetic complications at the heart and Diabetes institute. Here’s what he had to say about caffeine.

There are so many things we consume in everyday life that contribute to weight gain, high blood pressure, fatigue and many more.

The ‘average’ dosage of a compound found in coffee, Chorogenic acid, and five to six cups of coffee a day caused abnormal fat retention in the human body.

I guess what they say is true. You are what you…drink?

Kathleen O’Connor is a journalist for SYN’s current affairs program Panorama and a third-year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University. You can follow her on Twitter: @k_oconnor1

Photo: Twitter – Daniella Cross