RESEARCH STUDY SAYS !!: research findings

Showing posts with label research findings. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Coffee drinking is associated with increased longevity

Coffee drinking is associated with increased longevity
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220926200838.htm

Summary: Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day is linked with a longer lifespan and lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with avoiding coffee, according to new research. The findings applied to ground, instant and decaffeinated varieties.

Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day is linked with a longer lifespan and lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with avoiding coffee, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the ESC.¹ The findings applied to ground, instant and decaffeinated varieties.

"In this large, observational study, ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee were associated with equivalent reductions in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiovascular disease or any cause," said study author Professor Peter Kistler of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia. "The results suggest that mild to moderate intake of ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle."

There is little information on the impact of different coffee preparations on heart health and survival. This study examined the associations between types of coffee and incident arrhythmias, cardiovascular disease and death using data from the UK Biobank, which recruited adults between 40 and 69 years of age. Cardiovascular disease was comprised of coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure and ischaemic stroke.

The study included 449,563 participants free of arrhythmias or other cardiovascular disease at baseline. The median age was 58 years and 55.3% were women. Participants completed a questionnaire asking how many cups of coffee they drank each day and whether they usually drank instant, ground (such as cappuccino or filtered coffee), or decaffeinated coffee. They were then grouped into six daily intake categories, consisting of none, less than one, one, two to three, four to five, and more than five cups per day. The usual coffee type was instant in 198,062 (44.1%) participants, ground in 82,575 (18.4%), and decaffeinated in 68,416 (15.2%). There were 100,510 (22.4%) non-coffee drinkers who served as the comparator group.

Coffee drinkers were compared to non-drinkers for the incidence of arrhythmias, cardiovascular disease and death, after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea, smoking status, and tea and alcohol consumption. Outcome information was obtained from medical records and death records. The median follow up was 12.5 years.

A total of 27,809 (6.2%) participants died during follow up. All types of coffee were linked with a reduction in death from any cause. The greatest risk reduction seen with two to three cups per day, which compared to no coffee drinking was associated with a 14%, 27% and 11% lower likelihood of death for decaffeinated, ground, and instant preparations, respectively.

Cardiovascular disease was diagnosed in 43,173 (9.6%) participants during follow up. All coffee subtypes were associated with a reduction in incident cardiovascular disease. Again, the lowest risk was observed with two to three cups a day, which compared to abstinence from coffee was associated with a 6%, 20%, and 9% reduced likelihood of cardiovascular disease for decaffeinated, ground, instant coffee, respectively.

An arrhythmia was diagnosed in 30,100 (6.7%) participants during follow up. Ground and instant coffee, but not decaffeinated, was associated with a reduction in arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation. Compared with non-drinkers, the lowest risks were observed with four to five cups a day for ground coffee and two to three cups a day for instant coffee, with 17% and 12% reduced risks, respectively.

Professor Kistler said: "Caffeine is the most well-known constituent in coffee, but the beverage contains more than 100 biologically active components. It is likely that the non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the positive relationships observed between coffee drinking, cardiovascular disease and survival. Our findings indicate that drinking modest amounts of coffee of all types should not be discouraged but can be enjoyed as a heart healthy behaviour."

ENDS

Authors: ESC Press Office Mobile: +33 (0)7 8531 2036 Email: press@escardio.org" title="mailto:press@escardio.org">press@escardio.org

Funding: None.

Disclosures: Please see the paper.

References

¹Chieng D, Canovas R, Segan L, et al. The impact of coffee subtypes on incident cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, and mortality: long-term outcomes from the UK Biobank. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2022. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwac189.

Link will go live on publication:

https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/eurjpc/zwac189

About the European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

About the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology is the world's leading preventive cardiology journal, playing a pivotal role in reducing the global burden of cardiovascular disease.

(Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220926200838.htm)

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

7 Sneaky Habits That Can Cause Heart Problems

These common behaviors may lead to cardiovascular issues. Here's what to watch out for.

By Sep 9, 2022, 05:45 AM EDT

You may be contributing to heart damage and not even know it. Experts share the lifestyle habits to avoid in order to protect your cardiovascular health.

It’s well known that certain habits, like smoking or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, can damage your heart over time.

But many of the everyday habits that we don’t really think about — how frequently we brush our teeth, the supplements we take and the amount of coffee we drink — can also take a toll on the health of our hearts.

What we do, eat and drink can significantly influence our blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate, and ultimately influence our overall heart function.

Here are a few everyday habits that can contribute to heart problems:

Crash Dieting Or Eliminating Certain Macronutrients

Dr. Daniel Edmundowicz, the chief of cardiology at Temple University Hospital, said that people often think they are eating a healthy, balanced diet but, in actuality, are setting themselves up for heart problems down the road.

For example, he’s seen people adhering to a low cholesterol diet avoid healthy fats, an important macronutrient. Then, they may eat too many carbohydrates. While this type of diet wouldn’t cause an increase in cholesterol levels, it can lead to weight gain and put a lot of stress on the sugar system and diabetes system, according to Edmundowicz.

Crash dieting can similarly tax the cardiovascular system, and research has shown that a sudden and extreme shift in eating habits can lead to a deterioration in heart function.

“Going from one extreme to another really doesn’t help,” Edmundowicz said.

Social Isolation And Loneliness

Being isolated from others can also have a profound impact on our heart health, according to Dr. Rigved Tadwalkar, a board-certified cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

A recent study found that older women have a 8% higher risk of cardiovascular disease when living in social isolation and a 5% higher risk for cardiovascular disease when they’re living with loneliness. For people experiencing both social isolation and loneliness, the risk for heart disease grows to 27%.

Social isolation can also contribute to depression, and depression can lead to cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits, according to Edmundowicz.

“Social isolation is a biggie, and it does contribute to poor heart health,” Edmundowicz said.

Social connection can help improve heart health outcomes.

Poor Dental Health

Dental issues — like gum and tooth decay — can increase the risk of bacterial infections in the bloodstream. According to Tadwalkar, it’s very easy for bacteria in the mouth to travel to the blood.

Recent research also found that regularly having your teeth cleaned is linked to better heart health outcomes.

Edmundowicz said it’s known that gingivitis and poor oral health causes an inflammatory state that could exasperate heart problems like high cholesterol or plaque rupture.

“Good oral hygiene is important. We can’t say 100% that brushing and flossing every day is going to prevent a heart attack, but it can increase one’s vulnerability if they have the other standard risk factors,” Edmundowicz said.

Certain Medications And Supplements

Some medications have been found to trigger cardiovascular issues. ADHD medications, for example, can ramp up the nervous system and cause increased heart rate and blood pressure. Drugs with a diuretic effect, such as the anti-hormonal medication Spironolactone, can decrease blood pressure, and in people with naturally low blood pressure, lead to symptoms like lightheadedness and dizziness.

Tadwalkar stressed that this doesn’t mean that everyone needs to be concerned about their medications. However, those who are predisposed to blood pressure or heart rhythm issues may need to be careful with the dosing of their medications. Your physician should take your heart health history into consideration while figuring out the right dosage for you.

Supplements can also impact the heart, especially among people taking vitamins and herbal supplements they don’t actually need. Supplements can interact with prescribed medications and also have destructive effects on the heart, according to Tadwalkar. He recommends talking to a physician about supplements to determine if they may have cardiovascular effects.

Too Much Caffeine

Caffeinated coffee is generally safe and protective for the heart. Research suggests that drinking two cups of coffee per day provides the greatest cardiovascular benefits.

But too much coffee can have a negative effect because it “can speed up the heart, cause increased heart rate, cause contraction of the blood vessels and increased blood pressure, and certainly if you’re prone to rhythm disturbances of the heart, the caffeine at high doses can cause that,” Tadwalkar said.

Caffeine is considered safe until 300 to 400 milligrams, and after that, it can have a cascade of negative effects.

Research has also shown that filtered coffee is associated with better cholesterol levels than unfiltered coffee, such a French press. “Oftentimes we don’t link cholesterol with coffee, but filtered coffee has less bad cholesterol content than less filtered coffee,” Tadwalkar said. In general, the blacker the coffee, the healthier it is for the body.

Your daily coffee habit can be beneficial for your heart — but only up to a certain point.

Unmanaged Stress

When the body’s fight-or-flight system is chronically activated, it can cause inflammation in the body and prolonged release of stress hormones like adrenaline. These factors together can cause physiological changes in the body, including increases in blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, insulin resistance and electrical rhythm disturbances, according to Tadwalkar.

Chronic stress can also increase the risk of blood clotting throughout the body. If a clot forms in an artery that’s already narrow, it can cause a heart attack. “This is why people who have a lot of chronic stress, you may see, oftentimes, will end up with a heart attack,” Tadwalkar said.

Triggers of stress are all around us, and it can be hard to escape. Because those triggers aren’t going away, it’s crucial to learn how to effectively manage your stress, said Tadwalkar, who recommends stress-relieving activities like meditation, yoga, exercise and enjoyable hobbies.

Too Much Or Too Little Sleep

Most people need about seven to eight hours of sleep a night — too much or too little sleep can contribute to cardiovascular issues, including heart attack and stroke.

It’s not just about the quantity of sleep, but the quality, too. High-quality, regenerative sleep is crucial to maintaining a healthy heart. Lower-quality sleep is linked to high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and atherosclerosis (a build up of plaque in the arteries).

“We want people to sleep well, and for the expected duration of time, to really protect their heart,” Tadwalkar said.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/habits-cause-heart-problems_l_6318c9fde4b0ed021dedd968?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-intl (28/05/2024)

Thursday, March 8, 2018

RESEARCH STUDY SAYS: Welcome! to my new weblog via Google Blogger