Light-to-moderate coffee drinking associated with health benefits
>> Friday, October 8, 2021
WELLNEWS
Dr. Dumaguing MD
Sophia Antipolis, France: Up to three cups of coffee per day is associated with a lower risk of stroke and fatal heart disease, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.1,2
“To our knowledge, this is the largest study to systematically assess the cardiovascular effects of regular coffee consumption in a population without diagnosed heart disease,” said study author Dr. Judit Simon, of the Heart and Vascular Centre, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
“Our results suggest that regular coffee consumption is safe, as even high daily intake was not associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality after a follow-up of 10 to 15 years,” she continued. “Moreover, 0.5 to 3 cups of coffee per day was independently associated with lower risks of stroke, death from cardiovascular disease, and death from any cause.”
Even though coffee is among the most consumed beverages
in the world, little is known about the long-term impact of regular consumption
on cardiovascular health.
This study investigated the association between usual
coffee intake and incident heart attack, stroke and death. The study included 468,629
participants of the UK Biobank with no signs of heart disease at the time of
recruitment. The average age was 56.2 years and 55.8% were women.
Participants were divided into three groups according to
their usual coffee intake: none (did not consume coffee on a regular basis,
22.1%), light-to-moderate (0.5 to 3 cups/day, 58.4%) and high (more than 3
cups/day, 19.5%).
The researchers estimated the association of daily coffee
consumption with incident outcomes over a median follow-up of 11 years using multivariable
models. The analyses were adjusted for factors that could influence the
relationship including age, sex, weight, height, smoking status, physical
activity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol level, socioeconomic
status, and usual intake of alcohol, meat, tea, fruit and vegetables.
Compared to non-coffee drinkers, light-to-moderate
consumption was associated with a 12% lower risk of all-cause death (hazard
ratio [HR]=0.88, p<0.001), 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular
disease (HR=0.83, p=0.006), and 21% lower risk of incident stroke (HR=0.79;
p=0.037).
To examine the potential underlying mechanisms, the
researchers analyzed the association between daily coffee intake and heart
structure and function over a median follow-up of 11 years. For this, they used
data from 30,650 participants who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), which is considered the gold standard for the assessment of cardiac
structure and function.
Dr. Simon said: “The imaging analysis indicated that
compared with participants who did not drink coffee regularly, daily consumers
had healthier sized and better functioning hearts. This was consistent with
reversing the detrimental effects of ageing on the heart.”
She concluded: “Our findings suggest that coffee
consumption of up to 3 cups per day is associated with favorable cardiovascular
outcomes. While further studies are needed to explain the underlying
mechanisms, the observed benefits might be partly explained by positive
alterations in cardiac structure and function.”
There is a big family of substances called Xanthines
which have varying STIMULATING effects on the nervous system particular the
brain, specifically the ARAS-ascending reticular activating system, which has a
regulatory effect on wakefulness and sleep patterns. With coffee, it is
caffeine, with tea, it is theine, and with chocolates, it is theobromine. At
this juncture, it is also important to emphasize that your favorite soda or
soft drinks contain caffeine so that might explain why, after gulping a glass
of your carbonated drink or a cup of your java (slang term for coffee) after
dinner, then you spend a big part of the night counting sheep, which, sad to
say, not your own.
For those who missed the past issue, our readers are
reminded that researchers and nutritionists found brewed- filtered- coffee has
most health benefits. So a visit to the market might yield your favorite
Arabica, Maduro, Robusta, and of course the popular Kalinga brew.
Next Week: How Salty is your Diet?
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