Many doctors have often warned people that too much coffee can give them palpitations and other related problems. But now a new study shows the opposite. Can coffee actually be good for your heart?
CBS news reports on the new study.
Most people have been under the impression that coffee is actually not good for their health. But a new study shows that coffee promotes heart health.
The study shows that drinking three or more cups of coffee a day truncate the risk of developing clogged arteries. And this result would then decrease the risk of a person developing a heart attack.
How was the study conducted?
“For the study, Guallar's team collected data on more than 25,000 men and women living in South Korea. Their average age was 41. None had signs of heart disease. During a yearly health exam, the participants were asked about what they ate and drank. They all had CT scans to determine how much calcium had built up in their heart arteries,” according to CBS.
What were the results?
The experts compared calcium build-up with how much coffee the people in the study consumed. Their analysis showed that as coffee consumption rose, the amount of calcium build-up decreased, with those who drank three to five cups a day having the least amount of calcium build-up. The scientists then compared calcium build-up with how much coffee participants took in. Researchers found that as coffee consumption rose, the amount of calcium build-up decreased, with those who drank three to five cups a day having the least amount of calcium build-up in their arteries.
Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, commented on the study.
He said, “Multiple studies have shown that coffee consumption is associated with lower risk of heart attacks and strokes, with lowest risk with three to five cups of coffee a day. In fact, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recently released a report saying that the health risks associated with drinking that much coffee are minimal, and having as many as five cups of coffee each day is linked to several health benefits including a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.”
The link between higher coffee consumption and lower calcium build-up was the same when the study categorized people by age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Experts also took into consideration factors such as education, level of physical activity level, family history of heart disease and dietary consumption of fruits, vegetables, red meat and processed meats.
Samantha Heller is a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City and commented on the study. She said,
“That morning cup o' joe may offer some unexpected health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease. But this is not all about the caffeine. Coffee contains more than 1,000 chemicals, including antioxidants that may be contributing to the health benefits.”
Fox news also reported on the study. The article talks about how it was once thought that drinking coffee could make you more sensitive to heart attacks, but an increasing body of evidence implies the habit has a neutral or beneficial effect on cardiovascular health.
