Coffee Reduces the Risk of Arrhythmia
Love (not coffee) can make your heart skip a beat.
Despite initial concerns that caffeine may increase risk for an irregular heartbeat, called arrhythmia, drinking coffee appears to have no impact on arrhythmia risk. In fact, drinking coffee on a daily basis may actually reduce arrhythmia risk.
The study is detailed in a review published in JACC: Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“There is a public perception, often based on anecdotal experience, that caffeine is a common acute trigger for heart rhythm problems,” said Peter Kistler, MBBS, PhD, a lead author of the review and director of electrophysiology at Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia.
“Our extensive review of the medical literature suggests this is not the case.”
In addition, caffeine doses up to 500 mg daily (approximately six cups of coffee) did not increase the severity or rate of ventricular arrhythmias. A randomized study of 103 post-MI patients who received an average of 353 mg/day resulted in improved heart rate and no significant arrhythmias.
Reference: , and JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology. 2016.