Coffee Coffee is generally heart-friendly
But it may be linked to a slight rise in high blood pressure, researchers say
Coffee drinkers can take heart from a series of studies presented this week at American Heart Association conferences in San Francisco. For example, coffee drinkers appear to have a lower risk of hospitalization for abnormal heart rhythms. And there's no indication that having a few cups every increases the risk of atheroslerosis, the thickening of blood day something in vessel walls that can lead to heart and other problems.
What's more, coffee other than caffeine might be responsible for a reduced risk of diabetes for women who regularly imbibe java. But it may be linked to a slight rise in high blood pressure.
The heart rhythm research looked at the which 130,054 members of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program hospitalized for heart rhythm About 2 percent of them had hospital stays because of such abnormalities, the most common being atrial fibrillation. But the risk was 18 percent lower for those who reported deinking four or more cups of coffee a day, compared to those who didn't drink coffee, said Dr. Arthur Klatsky, a senior consultant in cardiology for the program, who led the study, "It might be a surprise, because coffee does give some people the jitters," Klatsky said. "And I don't think we're ready to tell people they should drink coffee to prevent heart rhythm problems." The study didn't offer any reason why ee might reduce heart rhythm problems." The study didn't offer any reason why coffee might reduce heart rhythm problems, could not that coffee drinkers have better diets or exercise more. We can't say for sure that it might be related to minor heart rhythm problems that don't require hospitalization." The bottom line: don't have to quit because they have heart rhythm problems," Klatsky said. "That's about as far as can go