Emma Miller
Drinking coffee can also lead to a moderate temporary increase in blood pressure. The taste and smell of coffee, not to mention its ability to lift your mood in the morning, have made it one of the most popular beverages in the world.
Moreover, research shows that coffee can protect against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and certain types of cancer. Prospective studies that track people over time have provided evidence that drinking this beverage is safe for most people and is associated with lower mortality rates.
However, a new study suggests that some of the supposed cardiovascular health benefits of coffee may have been exaggerated. The study was limited to white British participants. Due to the caffeine in coffee, excessive consumption can cause unpleasant symptoms such as tachycardia (rapid heartbeat at rest) and palpitations.
Drinking coffee can also lead to a mild, temporary increase in blood pressure. Therefore, it may seem surprising that regular coffee drinkers have normal or lower blood pressure compared to people who do not drink coffee.
One explanation may be that coffee drinkers develop a physiological tolerance to the effects of caffeine. But a new study shows that people with a high genetic risk of cardiovascular disease subconsciously reduce the amount of alcohol they drink to avoid unpleasant cardiovascular symptoms.
The study showed that people with high blood pressure, angina, or arrhythmia drank less caffeinated coffee and more decaffeinated coffee. Most importantly, there was strong evidence that their genetic vulnerability to cardiovascular disease led to a reduction in coffee consumption.
This rules out the alternative explanation that drinking less coffee makes them more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease. Researchers from the University of South Australia in Adelaide conducted the study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Guided by genetics
“Whether we drink a lot of coffee, a little, or avoid caffeine altogether, this study shows that genetics determine our decisions to protect our cardiovascular health,” says Professor Elina Hippenen, who led the study and directs the Australian Center for Precision Health at the university.
“If your body is telling you not to have that extra cup of coffee, there’s probably a reason why,” she adds. “Listen to your body-it has more to do with your health than you think.” In observational studies, this effect may give a false impression that coffee prevents high blood pressure and protects the heart.
In fact, people who are prone to high blood pressure may simply avoid drinking coffee because caffeine is more likely to cause unpleasant symptoms for them. During recruitment, participants reported their regular coffee consumption. The researchers also measured blood pressure and heart rate and noted any cardiovascular symptoms.
Participants with high blood pressure, angina, or arrhythmia consumed less caffeine than those without these symptoms. To determine whether regular coffee consumption caused the symptoms or symptoms that caused the reduction in coffee consumption, the researchers used a statistical method called Mendelian randomization.
This method uses the random inheritance of genetic variants that increase a person’s risk of a particular outcome later in life – in this case, the association between blood pressure and heart rate with habitual coffee consumption.
Because factors such as lifestyle or diet cannot change a person’s genetic sequence, any associations found by researchers must be due to gene variants and not to any other factors When they analyzed the data, it turned out that the presence of a certain genetic variant determines how much coffee a person drinks.
“This means that someone who drinks a lot of coffee is probably more resistant to caffeine from a genetic point of view than someone who drinks very little,” says Professor Hippenen. “Conversely, a person who doesn’t drink coffee, or someone who drinks decaf coffee, is more susceptible to the side effects of caffeine and more prone to high blood pressure,” she adds.
