Caffeine Won't Make Your Heart Skip a Beat
Go ahead, drink up. (Photo: Getty Images)
Add one more study to the “coffee is good for you” file. Contrary to previous evidence that caffeine may cause heart palpitations that can lead to heart failure, stroke, and death, new research in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests the claim is, well, rubbish.
Related: Man Drank Himself to Death—With Caffeine
Researchers surveyed 1,388 people, with an average age of 72, about their caffeine consumption, reports NBC News. Some 61% of participants said they consumed some amount of coffee, tea, or chocolate daily; researchers didn’t ask about energy drink consumption. After looking for premature ventricular and atrial contractions in the heart, scientists concluded there was no link between caffeine consumption and heart palpitations, heart fluttering, or other irregular heartbeat patterns, even among those who consumed a lot of caffeine each day.
Related: More Young People Are Getting Colon Cancer
The AHA suggests a patient with extra heartbeats should avoid caffeine, which can worsen the problem, reports CBS San Francisco. But “we may unnecessarily be discouraging consumption of items like chocolate, coffee, and tea, that might actually have cardiovascular benefits,” the study author says, noting doctor recommendations on caffeine intake “should be reconsidered."
Related: Why We Shouldn’t Sleep Late on Weekends
As if to convince doctors to take another look, researchers also note that regular coffee consumption is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, coronary artery disease, and death from all causes. Because "this was the first community-based sample to look at the impact of caffeine on extra heartbeats,” an author notes further study is still needed, per the Mirror. (There’s more good news if you drink three to five cups of coffee per day.)
By Arden Dier
More From Newser:
Wife: Husband Secretly Divorced Me 20 Years Ago
Your Earwax Says a Lot About You
This article originally appeared on Newser: Caffeine Won’t Make Your Heart Skip a Beat
