People
who drink three to five cups of coffee a day are less likely to develop clogged
arteries that could lead to heart attacks, a study has found.
An
international team of researchers, led by the Kangbuk Samsung hospital in
Seoul, South Korea, found that people who consume a moderate amount of coffee
had the least risk of coronary calcium in their arteries.
Coronary
artery calcium (CAC) is an early indicator of coronary atherosclerosis, a
hardening and narrowing of the arteries, which can cause blood clots that can
trigger a heart attack or stroke.
Previously
concerns had been expressed about a potential increase in heart disease risk
associated with drinking coffee, which has been linked to increased cholesterol
concentrations and heightened blood pressure.
But the authors of the paper, published in the journal Heart on Monday, said
their findings chimed with a recent meta-analysis of 36 studies that showed
moderate coffee consumption was associated with a decreased risk of heart
disease.
They
said:
“Our study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that coffee consumption might be inversely associated with CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk. Further research is warranted to confirm our findings and establish the biological basis of coffee’s potential preventive effects on coronary artery disease.”
The British Heart
Foundation (BHF) agreed that more work was needed and warned about
generalising results garnered from studying research based on the South Korean
population to people with different lifestyles and diets.
Researchers
examined a group of 25,138 men and women in South Korea, with an average age of
41, who had no signs of heart disease, attending a health-screening
examination. They
estimated the CAC score ratios associated with different levels of coffee
consumption compared with no coffee consumption, taking into account other
factors such as level of education and physical activity, alcohol and cigarette
consumption, BMI (body mass index), family history of heart disease and diet.
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The ratio
was 0.59 for those consuming three to five cups per day, compared with
non-coffee drinkers. For those drinking less than one cup a day it was 0.77,
falling to 0.66 for people having one to three cups. The ratio rose to 0.81 for
people having five or more a day.
The
association was similar in subgroups defined by age, sex, smoking status,
alcohol consumption, status of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and
hypercholesterolaemia. A
possible explanation is that chronic coffee consumption has a possible link to reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, a strong risk
factor for atherosclerosis, the authors suggested. They also said that coffee
drinking might improve insulin sensitivity and the function of β-cells, which
store and release insulin.
Victoria
Taylor, the BHF senior dietician, said:
“While this study does highlight a potential link between coffee consumption and lower risk of developing clogged arteries, more research is needed to confirm these findings and understand what the reason is for the association.
“We need to take care when generalising these results because it is based on the South Korean population, who have different diet and lifestyle habits to people in the UK.”
Source: Theguardian
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