Coffee is great, caffeine is great, everything is great. But recent research from American College of Cardiology (ACC) states that when consumed regularly in gigantic enough amounts, caffeine may actually enhance the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Which is not great.
The results will be presented at ACC Asia 2024 conference in Up-to-date Delhi, India, this weekend. For learningresearchers sought to find the effect of chronic caffeine consumption on cardiovascular health. They define chronic caffeine consumption as “consumption of any beverage containing caffeine five days per week for a period longer than one year.”
The study involved 92 robust people aged 18 to 45, who had their blood pressure and heart rate measured before completing a three-minute step test. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured again one minute and five minutes after the step test. This data was then compared to the participants’ caffeine intake levels.
They found that regularly consuming 400 mg or more of caffeine — the equivalent of about four cups of coffee, 10 cans of soda, or two energy drinks — “has a significant effect on the autonomic nervous system, raising heart rate and blood pressure over time.”
In extreme cases, people who chronically consumed more than 600 mg of caffeine had “significantly increased heart rate and blood pressure” even during the five-minute post-step assessment.
“Due to its effects on the autonomic nervous system, regular caffeine consumption may put robust individuals at risk for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases,” says lead author Nency Kagathara of Zydus Medical College and Hospital in Dahod, India.
Research has shown that hypertension, or high blood pressure, weakens the heart over time and is associated with a high risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and dementia.
There are other factors besides caffeine that affect blood pressure. Alcohol and salt intake and smoking, as well as exercise and a robust diet, also affect it. So maybe if I don’t smoke or drink (forget about cutting out salt, but I like the taste too much), I can drink a little more coffee, just for fun. Life is about balance. Or just listening to what you want to hear in the scientific studies. One of them.
