If you\u2019re like me, coffee is one of the few constant joys of life. A new report out today should put your mind at ease if you\u2019ve ever been worried about your habit\u2019s effects on the heart\u2014so long as you\u2019re already drinking in moderation, that is.<\/p>\n
Experts with the American Heart Association have issued a new scientific statement on the link between coffee and caffeine consumption and cardiovascular disease. Consuming up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, or roughly 5 eight-ounce cups of caffeinated coffee, is safe for your heart, they concluded, and may even lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in some people. On the other hand, high levels of caffeine consumption from sources like energy drinks could actually be dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the vast majority of individuals that currently enjoy consuming caffeinated coffee or tea, they should be reassured that these substances almost certainly are not increasing their cardiovascular risks and may instead have health benefits,\u201d Gregory Marcus, chief of the volunteer writing group behind the statement and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Gizmodo in an email.<\/p>\n
Just how much coffee a day is safe? <\/p>\n
Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed drugs on Earth, with coffee being its primary delivery method for many people. Though there has been some worry about the adverse health effects of regular coffee\/caffeine consumption, most research these days is optimistic. A study this past February, for instance, found<\/a> that caffeinated coffee and tea may be associated with a lower risk of dementia later in life.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n According to the AHA, however, the relationship between caffeine and cardiovascular health can be complex, so the researchers wanted to review the most up-to-date evidence on the topic. They studied studies about how caffeine consumption may affect the risk of stroke, coronary artery disease, and arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat), among others. Across the board, the researchers saw a consistent pattern: below 400 milligrams, caffeine is plenty safe heart-wise for the average person.<\/p>\n \u201cHabitual moderate coffee consumption can be part of a healthy lifestyle,\u201d the authors wrote in their paper, published<\/a> Monday in the journal Circulation.<\/p>\n There is some nuance in the data that could merit more investigation, they say. Drinking between one and three cups of coffee a day might increase blood pressure in people with healthy levels, for instance, while drinking more than that might actually lower it. Some research has also suggested that a particular ingredient in unfiltered coffee (both caffeinated and decaf) called cafestol could be associated with higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a.k.a. the bad kind. And some of the positive associations seen between coffee and conditions like type 2 diabetes might be due to other compounds besides caffeine.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile studies certainly have limitations and may yet be confounded by other factors despite the best attempts to perform appropriate statistical adjustment, evidence of benefit is greatest for risks of type 2 diabetes, atrial fibrillation (the most common heart rhythm disturbance), heart attack, and stroke,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cOn the other hand, caffeinated products might increase the frequency of early beats arising from the lower chamber of the heart called premature ventricular contractions (or PVCs), which may ultimately increase the risk for heart failure.\u201d<\/p>\n The actual dangers of caffeine <\/p>\n All that said, the biggest dangers of caffeine are likely to come from blowing past that 400 milligram threshold. Higher levels of caffeine consumption are associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure and irregular heart rhythm, the authors note.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Though it might be hard to consume that much caffeine with your typical cup of joe, it\u2019s much easier to do so with other products like energy drinks or shots. And too much caffeine from these products can be potentially deadly. Between 2022 and 2023, for instance, at least two heart-related<\/a>\u00a0deaths<\/a> in the U.S. were linked to Panera Bread\u2019s highly caffeinated \u201cCharged Lemonade\u201d energy drinks, which were eventually discontinued. And even incredibly fit people with an energy drink habit can possibly be susceptible to complications like stroke<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEnergy drinks have not been as thoroughly studied as caffeine occurring in natural substances (such as coffee or tea), but the available evidence suggests these drinks are more likely harmful than not,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n So yes, you should be mindful about how much caffeine you\u2019re consuming daily, especially if you\u2019re regularly chugging down energy shots. And if you\u2019re worried about caffeine\u2019s effect<\/a> on your sleep or other aspects of your health, it\u2019s not a bad idea to scale back. Given that most Americans probably consume<\/a> less than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, though, the average person reading this should be just fine where they are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re like me, coffee is one of the few constant joys of life. 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