Nary a month goes by that another study isn’t published either extolling the virtues of Coffee or demonizing the popular beverage for some reason or another. The ‘pro’ opinions have slightly outnumbered the ‘cons’. This time, there’s an added focus on the differences between Full-Caff and De-Caff…
Happy Coffee drinkers have just heard the latest scientific
news on the benefits of their beverage of choice…
Here’s an angle I can’t remember the Ivory Tower eggheads pronouncing on before… But the news is another tick in the ‘plus’ column for Coffee lovers.
Good seems to out-weigh bad, but…
In reports-gone-by, the presence of relatively high levels of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory flavonoid compounds found in regular Coffee has gotten dietary and medical types all excited about the beneficial effects of drinking a certain amount of the ubiquitous beverage every day as a means of protecting not only against the ravages of heart disease, but some cancers and systemic inflammation, which has been declared a basic aggravator of a whole laundry list of diseases and conditions.
But a substantial number of contrary reports say the Caffeine in Coffee – present in relatively high amounts – is just as bad as the other, beneficial components are good. Of course, this all leaves the ultimate decision about whether or not to drink the stuff up to us, the consumers. But, since Caffeine is addictive – like alcohol and some drugs – most of us go right on drinking it anyway.
Now, a team from the American Heart Association is reporting that not only has Coffee been confirmed to help fight heart disease, but Caffeine has been shown to be an important player in that scenario.
Data-mining ‘gold’
The team wanted to see, if it could, whether Coffee really did fight cardio-pulmonary disease and, if so, what it was in the bev specifically that produced that effect.
“While smoking, age and high blood pressure are among the most well-known heart disease risk factors, unidentified risk factors for heart disease remain,” according to Dr. David P. Kao, Senior Author of the study, of the Center for Personalized Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
“The risks and benefits of drinking coffee have been topics of ongoing scientific interest due to the popularity and frequency of consumption worldwide,” said Dr. Linda Van Horn of Northwestern University. “Studies reporting associations with outcomes remain relatively limited due to inconsistencies in diet assessment and analytical methodologies, as well as inherent problems with self-reported dietary intake.”
What they did
The study involved examining the records of some 21,000 participants in three different long-term surveys, each involving a total of more than 10 years of follow-ups.
For purposes of their new study, the team broke down participants by consumption into groups drinking 0 cups per day, 1 cup per day, 2 cups per day and 3 or more cups per day.
What they found
The statistical analysis produced 4 distinct findings:
- In all three studies, people who reported drinking one or more cups of caffeinated coffee had an associated decrease in long-term heart failure risk. In two of the three data-source studies, “the risk of heart failure over the course of decades decreased by 5-to-12 per cent per cup per day of coffee, compared with no coffee consumption.”
- In the third, the risk of heart failure did not change between 0 to 1 cup per day of coffee; however, it was about 30 percent lower in people who drank at least 2 cups a day.
- Drinking decaffeinated Coffee, “appeared to have an opposite effect on heart failure risk – significantly increasing the risk of heart failure.”
- Caffeine consumption from any source, “appeared to be associated with decreased heart failure risk, and Caffeine was at least part of the reason for the apparent benefit from drinking more Coffee.
The takeaway
“The association between caffeine and heart failure risk reduction was surprising. Coffee and caffeine are often considered by the general population to be ‘bad’ for the heart because people associate them with palpitations, high blood pressure, etc. The consistent relationship between increasing caffeine consumption and decreasing heart failure risk turns that assumption on its head,” Dr. Kao says. “However, there is not yet enough clear evidence to recommend increasing Coffee consumption to decrease risk of heart disease with the same strength and certainty as stopping smoking, losing weight or exercising.”
My take
It all sounds pretty logical to me, with some of the study findings seeming to bolster others and vice-versa. I am happy to agree with Dr. Penny M. Kris-Etherton, immediate Past Chairperson of the American Heart Association’s Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Council Leadership Committee, when she says that the study suggests, “drinking coffee is associated with a decreased risk of heart failure and that coffee can be part of a healthy dietary pattern if consumed plain, without added sugar and high fat dairy products such as cream. […] The bottom line: enjoy coffee in moderation as part of an overall heart-healthy dietary pattern that meets recommendations for fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat/non-fat dairy products, and that also is low in sodium, saturated fat and added sugars. Also, it is important to be mindful that caffeine is a stimulant and consuming too much may be problematic — causing jitteriness and sleep problems.”
Not so different, really, than other studies already reported in the learned literature and here at the FFB – but the specific findings about the contrary effects associated with drinking De-Caff are surprising to me, too…
So, on with the show! And have another cuppa Jav-aaah…
~ Maggie J.