Coffee is not just another beverage, for some people, coffee is a way of life. It is really a cause of concern for the connoisseurs of coffee that whether drinking coffee can pose a threat to our health, particularly cardiovascular health.
In recent times, there have been a number of studies that try to establish a correlation between drinking coffee and the development of cardiovascular ailments.
Over the years innumerable studies have been conducted with regard to the relationship between drinking coffee and heart disease.
The result of these studies caused a great deal of confusion among common people, as they yielded conflicting results.
While there were many studies that suggested that there was no connection between drinking coffee and weakening the heart a few more researches in fact accomplished a direct connection between drinking coffee and deteriorating cardiovascular health.
Those who have been diagnosed with irregularities of the functioning of the heart have always been cautioned against the excessive consumption of tea and coffee.
Coffee drinking beyond a limit is believed to cause higher blood pressure.
A study was conducted that showed that blood pressure rises by 5 points if you consume 4-5 cups of coffee per day.
There will be no rise if you restrict your drinking to only one cup per day. If you think that 5 points is a negligible rise, think twice, for it may lead to dangerous long term consequences culminating into cardiac arrest and strokes.
The study also established a correlation between drinking coffee and an increased level of homocysteine levels in the blood, another culprit leading to heart attacks.
On the other hand, a study has been conducted on 20,000 Finnish men and women in the year 2000 that gives you an altogether different picture.
This study established that for this group of people drinking coffee did not result in any kind of adversities in the functioning of the heart.
Another study was conducted in Scotland that took a detailed account of the health condition of the people who consumed large amounts of either coffee or tea.
The study brought out an amazing fact– the coffee-drinkers possessed healthier hearts than the tea drinkers! It was a blow to the common belief that tea is lees harmful for heart than coffee.
However, it was pointed out by the researchers that diet and other lifestyle choices were not included in the study.
Another good news for the coffee lovers: according to the medical findings, death from heart failure is greater in those people who did not drink coffee.
And here comes the relevance of the diet and other lifestyle choices such as whether the participating members of the study used to smoke, how fat they were, etc.
For heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure can be the combined result of many lifestyle factors.
So, it will be incorrect to assume that there is a definite correlation between drinking coffee and an enhanced risk of cardiac diseases.
Maybe the patients who took part in the previous studies established the connection between consumption of coffee and heart disease used to smoke and had high cholesterol level.
On the other hand the studies that revealed that coffee drinkers experienced lesser mortality pattern from heart diseases, does not mean that coffee has some defensive powers against heart diseases. The possible explanation may be that they followed a healthier life style.
So, on the basis of the above discussion we can safely conclude that there is no direct relation between drinking coffee and developing heart disease. What matters is pursuing a healthy lifestyle.
Gorging on junk foods and smoking is much more pernicious for your poor heart than a few cups of coffee.
So, follow a healthy lifestyle by bidding goodbye to smoke, follow an exercise regimen, and eat lots of antioxidant-rich fresh fruits and vegetables to keep the heart disease at bay.
So, you see coffee was not a decisive factor in developing a weak heart. But do not make this an excuse for consuming as much as you want.
Excessive consumption may lead to stomach distress and increased calcium losses from the bone.
For the health-conscious folks, the experts’ advice is to drink moderately and do not exceed the limit of three cups per day.
