Coffee reduces stroke & heart attack risk

Coffee reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease

03/25/2014

For years, the impact of coffee consumption on the cardiovascular system has been the subject of much controversy. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School (both in Boston, USA), the National University of Singapore, and the National University Health System (both in Singapore) now feature in the journal „Circulation“ published a meta-study, which comes to the result that coffee consumption at amounts below nine cups per day not detrimental, but even protective effect on the cardiovascular system.

According to researchers, the researchers around Frank B. Hu from Harvard Medical School wanted the meta-analysis „assess the dose-response relationship between long-term coffee consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease.“ They used 36 existing studies involving nearly 1.3 million subscribers to verify the relationship of coffee consumption with various cardiovascular affliction (for example, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart attack). Overall, 36,352 study participants suffered from diseases of the cardiovascular system. However, an increase in the risk due to coffee consumption was, according to the researchers only at more than nine cups of coffee per day. Otherwise, coffee has even contributed to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Coffee reduces the risk of stroke by up to 20 percent
As part of the data analysis, the researchers say they have „found a nonlinear relationship between coffee consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease.“ It was noted that with a coffee consumption of five cups per day, the likelihood of cardiovascular disease was five percent less than with total coffee abstinence. A moderate coffee consumption of one and a half cups a day was accompanied by an average reduction of disease risk by about eleven percent and the maximum protective effect appears to have been achieved coffee per day at 3.5 cups, the researchers report. Here the risk in individual studies has fallen by up to twenty percent. Average coffee reduced by 15 percent likelihood of stroke, coronary heart disease and other diseases of the cardiovascular system was observed in a coffee consumption of 3.5 cups a day.

Coffee only in extreme quantities with unfavorable effect
Only from a consumption of nine or more cups of coffee per day according to the calculations of the researchers according to clearly negative effects. The previously often imputed, generally unfavorable effect of coffee on the cardiovascular system is therefore not given. „The fear that drinking coffee could increase the risk of stroke seems unfounded“, therefore reports to the German Society of Neurology (DGN), citing the current study results. „After decades of discussion and uncertainty, this is certainly good news for our patients“, emphasized Professor Hans-Christoph Diener, Director of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Essen and press spokesman of the German Society for Neurology. Even people, every day „drinking up to seven cups of coffee suffered on average fewer strokes, heart attacks and heart ailments than those who drank no coffee at all“, according to the DGN communication. Professor Diener added that „So most people do not have to worry“ and „only in pregnancy and with difficulty adjustable high blood pressure restraint appropriate“ be.

Making the coffee healthier today?
The experts of the German Society of Neurology are considering the surprisingly clear study result to the conclusion that perhaps changes in the methods of making coffee over the decades will also play a role. Because earlier, the powder was mostly cooked, which has the coffee proven to increase the blood lipid cholesterol. Today, however, rather filter coffee is preferred, so the coffee simply „healthier“ produced, reports the DGN. This „would mean, however, that the study results are not to be transferred to French or Turkish coffee“, give the experts of the DGN to consider. (Fp)