Regular consumption of coffee does not make your heart race. While we have been warned that consuming high amounts of caffeine can cause unwanted heart palpitations in some people, recent research notes that most people can enjoy coffee without worry; caffeine does not appear to increase the risk of arrhythmias.
Coffee has been associated with a lower risk of arrhythmias
Moderate, sugar-free consumption of coffee can benefit your heart health in the long run. Coffee consumption has various effects on the heart, some are temporary and short-term.
On coffee drinking and arrhythmias, a large new study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found that coffee not only does not cause them, but each additional cup of coffee a person drinks daily could reduce the risk of arrhythmia by about 3% on average.
“Most people, even those with arrhythmias, should be able to enjoy their cup of coffee, and maybe there are some people for whom caffeine or coffee can actually help lower their risk, “said study co-author Dr. Gregory Marcus, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Marcus points out that although there may be some people where caffeine is their trigger, “The growing evidence is that those cases are quite rare“.
The study by researchers at the University of California looked at the coffee consumption of more than 386,000 people who took part in a long-term British health study and compared it to rates of cardiac arrhythmia, which could include atrial fibrillation.
There was no link between caffeine and heart rhythm disturbances, even when researchers conducted genetic analysis, the study found no significant association between poor coffee metabolism and arrhythmia risk.
Temporary effects of coffee on blood pressure
Caffeine stimulates the heart, increases blood flow, and can raise blood pressure in some people, especially in those who do not usually consume caffeine. “But it stays in the healthy range and is temporary”Says Dr. Barbara George, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Medicine at Winthrop Hospital in New York, to The Healthy.
Coffee may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke
The Harvard School of Public Health shares that evidence suggests that regular, moderate consumption of coffee (3 cups per day) can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. This drink has been associated with a 21% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Drinking coffee also reduces the risk of death after stroke and heart attack as shared by the American Heart Association.
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