Coffee, friend or foe of our heart? The debate has agitated the scientific community for years. A new study from the University of California at San Francisco (United States) defeats the idea that coffee causes heart palpitations or arrhythmia (disturbance of the heart rhythm).
Dr Gregory Marcus, director of this new work, even assures the opposite: caffeine would even be beneficial for heart health. “The clinical recommendations warning against the regular consumption of caffeinated products to avoid disturbances of the heart rhythm should be reconsidered, he says in The Telegraph, as it is useless to advise against eating chocolate, coffee or tea. , since these foods can have cardiovascular benefits “.
No direct association
To reach this conclusion, Dr. Marcus analyzed coffee consumption in 1,388 people with an average age of 72 years. About 60% of them consumed caffeine at least once a day. Any premature heart contractions have been observed. Characterized by palpitations, these uncontrolled contractions can be a sign of heart problems such as atrial fibrillation (rapid and irregular contraction of the atria), or heart failure. These conditions can increase the risk of cardiac arrest and premature death.
After careful consideration, nothing was found to establish a correlation between premature heart contractions and caffeine consumption.
The study, published in The American heart association, should therefore not deter caffeine addicts from avoiding their morning ritual. Still, coffee remains a stimulant that should be consumed in moderation, no more than 300 mg per day (about three cups).
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