A new study found that even in otherwise healthy individuals, drinking more than 400 milligrammes of caffeine daily increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, so it’s clear that coffee may be harmful to the heart in excess.
Lead author Nency Kagathara of Zydus Medical College and Hospital in Dahod, India, noted that “Regular caffeine consumption could disturb the parasympathetic system, leading to elevated blood pressure and heart rates.” That was the explanation given by Kagathara.
Following a three-minute step test, Kagathara’s team recorded the heart rates and blood pressures of ninety-two healthy people. According to the New York Post, the individuals who took part in the studies ranged in age from 18 to 45 and had normal blood pressure before they began.
The daily caffeine consumption of almost 20% of the participants exceeded 400 mg, which is about equal to four cups of coffee, ten cans of soda, or two energy drinks.
As a point of comparison, 100 millilitres of any coffee beverage has 75 milligrammes of caffeine, 100 millilitres of any flat white contains 87 milligrammes of caffeine, 101.9 milligrammes of any cappuccino, and 107 milligrammes of any short black espresso.
Heart rate and blood pressure were seen to increase with prolonged daily ingestion of 400 mg. At Thursday’s American College of Cardiology meeting in Delhi, India, the results of the study were shown.
The FDA has said that 400 mg of caffeine daily is “not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects,” however they have acknowledged that caffeine can be metabolised at varying rates and that some persons are more susceptible to it than others.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “most healthy adults” may safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine.
The stress chemicals noradrenaline and epinephrine, which caffeine can stimulate, increase heart rate and blood pressure by constricting blood arteries.
