Urgent health warning after horror new study links nation's favourite drink to heart disease
Excessive caffeine intake linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease in new study
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Britons love a cup of joe. So much so it was voted the country's drink of choice last year.
You can have too much of a good thing, however.
New research links excessive caffeine intake to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease - the leading cause of death worldwide.
The new study, presented at ACC Asia 2024 in Delhi, India, suggests drinking over 400 mg of caffeine per day on most days of the week could increase the susceptibility of otherwise healthy individuals to CVD - an umbrella term for conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels
"Regular caffeine consumption could disturb the parasympathetic system, leading to elevated blood pressure and heart rates,” said lead author Nency Kagathara, MBBS, Department of Internal Medicine, Zydus Medical College and Hospital, Dahod, India.
“Our study sought to determine the effects of chronic caffeine consumption on heart health, specifically the recovery of heart rate and blood pressure.”
Consuming more than four cups of coffee a day was associated with an elevated risk
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Chronic caffeine consumption was defined as the intake of any caffeinated drinks five days per week for more than one year.
The study focused on tea, coffee and aerated beverages such as Coke, Pepsi, Redbull, Sting and Monster. The authors evaluated a randomised group of 92 healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 years.
All participants had their blood pressure and pulse measured and underwent a three-minute step test. Blood pressure and heart rates were measured at one minute and five minutes after the test. The authors recorded information on each participant’s sociodemographic data and daily caffeine intake.
The results found that 19.6 per cent of the participants consumed more than 400 mg of caffeine every day, which translates to about four cups of coffee, 10 cans of soda or two energy drinks.
Chronic caffeine consumption at 400 mg daily was shown to significantly impact the autonomic nervous system, raising the heart rate and blood pressure over time.
Researchers said the highest daily caffeine intakes were observed in participants who were female, employed in business and management roles, and living in urban areas.
Those who consumed the highest amounts, chronic caffeine consumption of more than 600 mg of caffeine per day, had significantly elevated heart rates and blood pressure after five minutes of rest following the step test
“Due to its effect on the autonomic nervous system, regular caffeine consumption could put otherwise healthy individuals at risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular events,” said Kagathara. “Increasing awareness of these risks is vital to improve heart health for all.”
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Other studies have not found this association and have identified a reduced risk
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Research is mixed on this front. While there is often concern about the links between caffeine and heart health, a moderate amount of tea or coffee (four or five cups a day) should be fine for most people, the British Heart Foundation says.
Research shows that this level of caffeine intake shouldn’t be detrimental to your heart health, affect your cholesterol levels or heart rhythm.
Studies have also found an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and CVD risk.
A Harvard-led study of more than 200,000 participants, published in the journal Circulation found coffee consumption (between three and five cups per day) was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular deaths and type 2 diabetes, but was associated with increased risk of lung cancer.