A
cup of coffee may trigger a heart attack
Newswise —
A cup of coffee may cause a heart attack in some people within an
hour of drinking it, according to a study reported in the journal
Epidemiology (“Transient Exposure to Coffee as a Trigger of a
First Nonfatal Myocardial Infarction,” (Volume 17, Issue 5,
September 2006.) The risk was highest among people with light or
occasional coffee intake, and those with a sedentary lifestyle or
other risk factors for coronary heart disease.
Studying 503 cases of
non-fatal myocardial infarction in Costa Rica, Ana Baylin of
Brown University and her colleagues of Harvard School of
Public Health surveyed participants about their coffee
consumption in the hours and days before their heart attack.
They also studied the participants’ socio-demographic
characteristics, lifestyle, and medical history. They
theorized that caffeine causes short-term increases in blood
pressure and sympathetic nervous activity that could affect
a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque, and trigger a heart
attack.
The researchers found that
the moderate coffee drinkers, by having a cup of coffee,
increased their risk of having a heart attack by 60%. There
was little effect among heavy coffee drinkers, but light
coffee drinkers increased their risk of heart attack by more
than four times. This may be because lighter drinkers are
less acclimated to the effects of caffeine.
Baylin and her team also found that patients with three or more risk
factors for coronary heart disease more than doubled their risk.
“People at high risk for a heart
attack who are occasional or regular coffee drinkers might consider
quitting coffee altogether,” comments Baylin, adding that for these
individuals, a cup of coffee could be “the straw that broke the
camel’s back.”
Coffee’s effects on the human body
have been studied for years. Baylin’s study is unique in that it
looks at immediate effects rather than those that impact people’s
health long-term.
Although the study was conducted
in Costa Rica, the researchers say that the results are relevant to
the U. S. as well, since Americans’ caffeine intake is comparable.
About Epidemiology
Epidemiology, published
bimonthly by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, is a peer-reviewed
journal bringing important new developments in the field to
epidemiologists, public health investigators, infectious disease
specialists, and other health professionals. Its broad coverage
spans from cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses to
reproductive, environmental, psychosocial, infectious-disease, and
genetic epidemiology. Visit
http://www.epidem.com for more information.
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