A new study looking at the effects of caffeine on the body would refute some popular beliefs, even pointing to benefits from regular coffee consumption.
“For years doctors have told their patients with heart palpitations to avoid caffeinated drinks because it could make their condition worse. […] Could coffee actually be good for us?” indicated the Dr Neil Srinivasan, a consultant cardiologist for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), specializing in heart rhythm, according to The Telegraph.
The expert was reacting to a new study, published in March in The New England Journal of Medicine, a leading American medical journal. The latter would demonstrate that coffee, contrary to popular belief, does not cause palpitations.
According to the study, if coffee slightly increased the number of premature ventricular contractions – extra heartbeats similar to a jump – these would generally be harmless, according to the cardiologist.
“They are common and generally harmless, although they can predict the development of atrial fibrillation, an irregular rhythm that can lead to strokes and heart failure, in some patients,” he said.
But not at the extremely low frequency where they occur due to coffee consumption, according to the study.
On the contrary, caffeine would even improve heart health since those who consume coffee during the day would walk 1000 steps more, almost a kilometer, than those who do not consume it, revealed the research.
Nevertheless, caffeine would impact the amount of sleep: those who consume coffee would sleep 36 minutes less on average per night than the others.
“Sleep is known to be beneficial for general physical and mental health. […] Interestingly, people with genetic variants that allow them to assimilate caffeine more quickly would experience less sleep deficit,” added D.r Srinivasan.
For the study, around 100 volunteers with no health issues were closely monitored using a heart monitor, a Fitbit to track their step count and sleep patterns, and a blood sugar monitor.
During the day, the latter received text messages telling them whether or not to consume quantities of caffeine.