3 Cups Of Coffee Daily Could Improve Heart Function

Adding another key finding to the on-going debate on how caffeine affects our health, new research states that it may not be harmful to the heart. Patients who are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation/arrhythmias (a quivering or irregular heartbeat) are often advised to avoid caffeine.

3 cups of coffee daily could improve heart function. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Referring to this, the researchers have suggested that the stimulant may actually be linked to improved heart function. Furthermore, the form in which people consume their caffeine plays a significant role.

"There is a public perception, often based on anecdotal experience, that caffeine is a common acute trigger for heart rhythm problems," said Dr. Peter Kistler, director of electrophysiology at Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia.

To understand how caffeine intake affects arrhythmias, a team examined a large number of population-based studies.

A meta-analysis of 228,465 participants revealed that atrial fibrillation frequency decreased by 6% in regular coffee drinkers. A further analysis of 115,993 patients showed a 13% risk reduction.

Another study looked at 103 post-heart attack patients who received an average of 353 mg of caffeine each day. The results revealed an improved heart rate and no significant arrhythmias.

Since atrial fibrillation can be caused by a chemical called adenosine, it is believed that caffeine plays a role in suppressing these effects.

Both large population studies and randomized control trials suggested caffeine intake of up to 300 mg per day (or 3 cups of coffee a day) may be safe for arrhythmic patients.

"Caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea may have long-term anti-arrhythmic properties mediated by antioxidant effects and antagonism of adenosine," Dr. Kistler said. "In numerous population-based studies, patients who regularly consume coffee and tea at moderate levels have a lower lifetime risk of developing heart rhythm problems and possibly improved survival."

However, the researchers recommended that patients with pre-existing heart conditions should avoid energy drinks as they may lead to abnormal rhythms and blood clots.

Findings showed that roughly 75% of patients with such heart conditions who consumed two or more energy drinks experienced palpitations within 24 hours.

The problem may lie with all the additional ingredients (sugar, ginseng, taurine etc.) in energy drinks, as noted in a 2017 study.

The results of the study found that people experienced more concerning changes in heart activity after consuming energy drinks, compared to when they drank another beverage with similar levels of caffeine. (Tasnim News Agency)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

New Observation of Nearby Star System Confirms Similarity to Ours

A relatively nearby planetary system is structured remarkably like what ours probably looked like when it was young, the U.S. space agency NASA confirms.

Scientists discover fossil of dinosaur ancestor with surprising croc-like appearance

Scientists have long wondered what the earliest dinosaur relatives looked like. Most assumed they would resemble miniature dinosaurs, about the size of chickens, and walk on two legs.

Study indicates as great white shark disappears, living fossil moves in

When the great white shark disappeared from a specific area off the coast of South Africa, a Jurassic-era predator called the sevengill shark moved in.

Final Descent Image from Rosetta Spacecraft

A new image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft shortly before its controlled impact into the comet's surface on Sept. 30, 2016.

Dawn Maps Ceres Craters Where Ice Can Accumulate

Scientists with NASA's Dawn mission have identified permanently shadowed regions on the dwarf planet Ceres. Most of these areas likely have been cold enough to trap water ice for a billion years, suggesting that ice deposits could exist there now.

Dawn Finds Possible Ancient Ocean Remnants at Ceres

The Dawn team found that Ceres' crust is a mixture of ice, salts and hydrated materials that were subjected to past and possibly recent geologic activity, and that this crust represents most of that ancient ocean.