“No thanks, coffee makes me nervous.” It is now established that the drink has effects on the emotional response, that in some it certainly does not help sleep and that it may not be optimal in those suffering from anxiety. But for the heart, and the consequent risk of arrhythmia, always keeping in mind the doctor’s advice on a case-by-case basis, perhaps the cup is not to be put on the dock. To exonerate it, providing support to those who just cannot give up the drink and are afraid that caffeine acts as a stimulating element of the electrical alterations of the heart, is a research conducted by scholars of ‘University of California published in Jama Internal Medicine.
The experts took into consideration the data relating to more than half a million people surveyed by the British health system, contradicting a reality that seemed established. “It is a widespread notion among people and also among doctors that coffee can cause extrasystoles or atrial fibrillation – he explains Ciro Indolfi, President of the Italian Society of Cardiology (Sic) – these effects have biological plausibility because coffee can increase the levels of catecholamines and calcium released by the sarcoplasmic reticulum “.
As if that weren’t enough, some previous observational research, such as the Physician’s Health Study, had suggested that caffeine may be associated with a higher risk of arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation.
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In the survey, participants were divided into seven groups (0 = did not drink coffee, or consumed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 cups of coffee per day). On average, they drank 2 cups of coffee a day, while 22% of them drank no coffee and 14% drank decaffeinated coffee.
The study also correlated the genetics of these individuals with coffee intake by showing that those with genetic variants associated with slower caffeine metabolism consumed less coffee.
The subjects were followed for 4.5 years. “The study showed that each additional cup of coffee consumed habitually was associated, contrary to what was previously thought, with a 3% lower risk of arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation and / or flutter and supraventricular tachycardia) – explains Indolfi – also the specific study who evaluated the presence of specific genetic variants did not reveal any significant association between the different metabolism of caffeine and the risk of arrhythmia “.
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In short: coffee is not the fuel that “ignites” the electrical reaction in the delicate circuits of the heart that leads to the appearance of the arrhythmia. But how can we explain this sort of Copernican revolution, which obviously does not have to mean a “free all”?
“There are several mechanisms that can justify this effect: the caffeine it has an electrophysiological effect on the prolongation of the refractory period of the left atrium and blocks adenosine receptors, which can therefore cause atrial fibrillation “, concludes Indolfi.
Furthermore, a role could also be played by the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of coffee since inflammation can be a sufficient substrate for cardiac arrhythmias through multiple mechanisms.
Finally, the catecholaminergic properties of caffeine could be protective against some arrhythmias, such as some extrasystoles, as well as some arrhythmias triggered by an increase in vagal tone.
For this reason these data suggest that the common prohibitions against caffeine to reduce the risk of arrhythmia are probably unjustified. “For the pleasure of” tazzulella “aficionados, good tasting. Even if exaggerating, as indeed in any situation, can be still a problem.
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