Coffee Does Not Lead To Heart Failure
Countering a previous study, new research indicates that coffee drinking does not actually elevate the risk of heart failure.
The scientists conducting the study found that among over 37,000 middle-aged and older Swedish men, those who regularly drank coffee were no more likely to develop heart failure than those who rarely, if ever, drank coffee.
Reported in the American Heart Journal, the findings build on other evidence suggesting that coffee may not pose a great threat to coronary health.
For example, initial studies indicating that heavy coffee drinking could contribute to heart attacks or other cardiac problems were coming primarily from questioning heart attack sufferers about their coffee consumption and comparing them with people who had never had a heart attack.
However, the current research has been designed to more accurately access true association. These prospective studies first inquire about a person’s coffee consumption and then follow them over a period of time to keep track of any heart trouble that may ensue.
A researcher on the most recent study Dr. Emily B. Levitan said that generally, such studies have found coffee to be associated to either a neutral or even protective effect on heart health.
However, heart failure has not been studied as much as heart attack, according to Levitan, who was with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston at the time of the study and is now located at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Heart failure refers to a chronic condition that involves a weakening of the heart muscle, causing it to not be able to pump enough blood efficiently for the body’s needs, which can cause symptoms such as fatigue and running out of breath during exertion.
A study published in 2001 suggested that heavy coffee drinking might be linked to heart failure. It found that of roughly 7,500 Swedish men, those who drank five or more cups of coffee per day had a higher risk of developing heart failure than men who drank less coffee.
Based on the findings of that study, a recent statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) said that drinking coffee could increase the risk of heart failure, but that more research would be required to confirm that as a possibility.
This statement is what moved the researchers to perform the current study, Levitan told Reuters Health.
Levitan and her team discovered that among 37,315 men between the age of 45 and 79, 784 went on to develop heart failure over nine years. Researchers were unable to find a definite relationship between the men’s reported coffee intake at the outset and their risk of developing heart failure.
It is not clear whether the findings apply to men with pre-existing heart conditions, according to Levitan. But upon entering the study, there were not any men with a history of heart attack. Heart-muscle damage from a heart attack is one of the primary causes of heart failure.
Levitan mentioned that the study also did not include women. She said it is possible that the results would be different for women, but unlikely.
"I don’t think there is any strong evidence of an association between coffee and heart failure," she said, while adding that it would be too soon to encourage people to give up coffee drinking as a means to avoid the disease.
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