“Heavy coffee drinking is harmful to heart,” cautioned physicians working at John Hopkin Medical Centre. The researchers, who presented a study at American Heart association annual meeting held at Washington, last year, suggested that men drinking 5 or more cups of coffee per day were almost 3 times more at risk of suffering from heart disease than nondrinkers.

The study comprised more than 1,100 white male physicians whose coffee drinking habits were tracked down to 1948, when they were medical students, Follow up questions about their life habits and illness such as heart attack have continued as the students became physicians. Some of them are now in their 60’s, The study concludes that men who drank 5 ‘or more cups of coffee per day run the risk of developing heart disease 3 times more than those who drank no coffee, The study did not define whether the coffee consumed was caffeinated or decaffeinated.

The researchers did say, however, that moderate coffee consumption is not a cause for concern,

‘The findings of this study, challenge the results of the earlier reports that found only a slight connection between heavy coffee usage and heart disease.

‘Another study conducted at Stanford University, suggests that men who drank 2 cups of coffee per day had high levels of cholesterol and a protein associated with heart disease.

There have been several attempts over the past several years to associate coffee drinking or caffein ingestion with cardiovascular morbidity or mortality and now the available evidence confirms the harmful effects of coffee on heart.

Coffee contains an active ingredient called caffein which is responsible for the ill effects. Heavy caffein ingestion can also cause anxiety attacks in the form of jitteriness, jumpiness, palpitation and sweatiness. Also there is inconclusive evidence that heavy caffein consumption can cause birth defects in infants born to mothers who drank coffee excessively, while they were pregnant. It is advised that caffein use should at least be curtailed by pregnant women. Also doctors often advise hypertensive people to reduce their caffein intake.

Tea, chocolate and coke are other food articles which contain high amount of caffein. Weight reducing pills and certain pain medicines also contain caffein.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 10, 1986