Drinking 25 cups of coffee a day no risk to your heart, say doctors
Coffee lovers who drink up to 25 cups a day can rest assured t h e b e ve r a g e i s n o t b a d f o r t h e i r h e a r t , s c i e n t i s t s h ave said.
Some previous studies have suggested coffee stiffens arteries, with drinkers warned to cut down their consumption of the caffeine-laden drink.
But a sur vey of more than 8,000 p eople across the UK found that drinking five cups a day, and even up to 25, was no worse for the arteries than drinking less than a cup a day.
The research, par t-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is being presented at the British Cardiovascular S ociet y Conference in Manchester.
Exper ts from Queen Mar y University of London divided 8,412 people into three groups for the study.
The first group was of those who drink less than one cup of coffee a day, the second was of those who drink bet ween one and three cups a day and the third was those who drink more than three.
S o m e p e o p l e i n t h e l a s t group drank up to 25 cups a day, although the average for this group was five cups a day.
D o c t o r s f o u n d t h a t e v e n those drinking up to 25 cups of coffee a day were no more l i k e l y t o h ave s t i f f e n i n g o f arteries than those who drank less than one cup a day.
Previous studies have sugg e s t e d t h a t c o f f e e s t i f f e n s arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke.
All the par ticipants in the latest study under went MRI heart scans and infrared pulse wave tests, and the results held true even after factors such as age, weight and smoking status were taken into account.
D r K e n n e t h Fu n g , f r o m Q u e e n M a r y U n i ve r s i t y o f L o n d o n , s a i d : “D e s p i t e t h e h u g e p o p u l a r i t y o f c o f f e e worldwide, different reports c o u l d p u t p e o p l e o f f f r o m enjoying it.
“W h i l e w e c a n’t p r o v e a causal link in this study, our research indicates coffee isn’t as bad for the arteries as previous studies would suggest.
“Although our study included individuals who drink up to 25 cups a day, the average intake among the highest coffee consumption group was five cups a day.
“We wo u l d l i k e t o s t u d y these people more closely in our future work so that we can help to advise safe limits.”
A second study led by Aston Universit y and presented at the same conference found t h a t p e o p l e a d m i t t e d t o several NHS hospitals with a cardiac arrest over the weeke n d d i d n o t f a c e a h i g h e r risk of dying compared with t h o s e a d mi t t e d d u r i n g t h e week.
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