The study of more than 8,000 people across the United Kingdom also found that even those who drank up to 25 cups a day were no more likely to experience stiffening of the arteries than someone drinking less than a cup a day.
Recent research found that heavy coffee consumption, measured as six cups per day, may be associated with a moderate increase in cardiovascular disease risk compared with the risk in those who drink less.
“The best practice appears to be that of sticking to moderation,” she said.
Information on each adult’s cardiovascular health came from hospital inpatient records and mortality records, Hypponen said in an email.
The subjects were grouped into seven categories: those who didn’t drink coffee, those drinking decaffeinated coffee and those drinking caffeinated coffee. The latter group was further divided by how many cups they drank each day, on average.
The researchers found that, when compared with those who drank one or two cups a day, the odds of cardiovascular disease were 11% higher among adults who did not drink coffee, 7% higher among those who drank decaf and a whopping 22% higher among those who drank more than six cups per day.
“Readers may be surprised by the slight elevation in risk for those who did not drink any coffee or chose decaffeinated coffee,” Hypponen noted.
“Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant. Caffeine administration in clinical trials has been shown to increase sympathetic nervous system activity and blood pressure, and in simple terms, excessive coffee intakes can make your heart work harder,” Hypponen said.
“Anything that makes your heart work harder through that type of mechanisms, whether it would be stress or excessive coffee consumption, can be bad for your heart, especially if this continues over long periods of time,” she said. “Some types of coffee which are produced without filtering also contain cafestol, which raises the blood LDL cholesterol and can affect cardiovascular disease risk through related mechanisms.”
The study had some limitations, including that the data on coffee consumption was self-reported and did not specify the size of the cup of coffee drunk. Additionally, the findings cannot be generalized outside the population of people who habitually drink coffee.
People also tend to self-regulate their coffee intake based on various factors, such as health concerns or pregnancy.
So “studies are all over the place,” said Goldberg, a volunteer expert with the American Heart Association.
“My thoughts about coffee and increasing heart disease risk are, I think the data we have so far is not enough to tell people to stop drinking coffee,” she said. “Coffee is probably safe as long as you’re not a heavy drinker.”
CNN’s Amy Woodyatt contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork
