Posted on 03/12/2024 9:33:48 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
When Dr. David Kao tells patients they have atrial fibrillation, their first question is usually "Do I have to give up coffee?"
His answer often surprises them: No.
"Because it's a stimulant, they feel their heart is going to race and be worse off, especially when you have an arrhythmia like atrial fibrillation," said Dr. José Joglar. "But it's not in the science."
Joglar was the lead author of new guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association on diagnosing and treating atrial fibrillation, or AFib, published recently in Circulation. Among the detailed discussions of lifestyle habits, risk modification, treatments and the complexities of AFib, the authors included specific reassurances that caffeine isn't the problem.
Studies "have generally found that caffeine consumed in usual amounts is either associated with no heightened risk or a reduced risk of incident atrial fibrillation," the report said.
"The bad reputation that caffeine has is not deserved," Joglar said. "Caffeine has been shown to be safe for the heart."
Moreover, it may even do some good. A 2021 study published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure suggested that caffeinated coffee may actually reduce the risk of heart failure.
Up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day—roughly four or five cups of coffee—can be safe for healthy adults, according to the FDA.
However, this cup of good cheer does come with a few caveats.
Kao agreed. "There may be other reasons people may want to stop drinking coffee, like sleep disorders or anxiety disorders," he said. "But not for the sake of the heart."
The coffee-friendly AFib recommendations don't extend to every heart condition or high blood pressure.
Nor do they extend to every kind of coffee. Kao said most studies focus on caffeinated black coffee—not decaffeinated coffee or instant coffee.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Are you European descent? Are you on the tall side? Those are the risk factors my husband has. It really depends on the genetics rather than the environmental factors.
I drink plenty of it, but I slip in some decaf along the way because I’m still drinking too much of it.
More likely to have sleeping issues than heart issues.
Welcome aboard and enjoy the discussions be they
good or bad. They can be interesting at times and
provide new info we didn’t know.
I’ve had A-fib all my life and had no problems with coffee.I am 77 years of age.
My Afib started in March of 2020, rhythm was restored about 24 hours later.
Then had 3 more spells before the last one which lasted 10 days.
Metoprolol didn’t help anymore, so finally Dr. put me on flecainide, which took 3 days to take effect.
Flecainide is a sodium blocker.
I know someone who has had good results with ablation when nothing else worked.
If I have any problems or max out on the flecainide, I will probably have the ablation.
My husband is so sensitive to caffeine that even decaf coffee and tea cause heart irregularities.
So both of us have changed our lifestyle to eliminate caffeine even though we are in our 80s.
Smart move! Wish you good health until ripe old age.
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