Actor Liam Neeson, who celebrates his 70th birthday today, has recalled the time he found out that the severe leg cramps that left him in tears of agony were being caused by coffee. The global star from Northern Ireland previously told Radio 5 Live: “The pain made me cry - it was agonising.
"I was getting shooting pains in my leg, cramps in the middle of the night. A friend of mine set me up with this massage therapist who does all the dancers on Broadway and he worked on me.
“He got rid of lactic acid crystals in my leg and afterwards. [The therapist] said ‘do you drink a lot of caffeine?' and I said 'yes I do'.
“He said 'I would maybe drop it if you can and switch to decaf', and I did. And the cramps disappeared by 90%."
After giving up caffeine and seeing the positive effects it had on his painful cramps, Neeson went on to admit that he is now “addicted” to decaf tea, a safer option in comparison to coffee.
The story resurfaced in The Express after it was reported that Liam has been helping Belfast-born Eammon Holmes with his own battles with chronic pain. "Rest is rust and motion is lotion,” Neeson reportedly told Holmes whilst the pair sat next to each other on a plane.
According to experts, up to 400mg of caffeine a day is safe for most adults. This is roughly equivalent to the amount in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks.
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