Caffeine is a substance which is believed to stimulate the heart rate and the central nervous system. Hence, many people believe that caffeine contributes to cardiac arrhythmias and many doctors recommend limiting the caffeine intake, especially for patients with palpitations or documented arrhythmias. Nevertheless, based on a recent research published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, three cups of coffee a day are safe and can, in fact, protect against heart rhythm disorders.
Even though it is assumed that caffeine is a common acute trigger for heart rhythm problems, the study’s lead author, Peter Kistler, claims that this is not true. Peter Kistler together with his colleagues at the Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia, conducted a review. The review aid in examining the effects of caffeine on both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation as the most common heart rhythm disorder.
The results showed that caffeine shows no deleterious effects on atrial and ventricular electrophysiologic properties. On the contrary, increased levels of caffeine ingestion have shown a reduction in atrial fibrillation.
Caffeine Reduces the Atrial Fibrillation Risk
One cup of coffee contains about 95 mg of caffeine. So, when a person ingests caffeine in such amounts, caffeine inhibits the effects of adenosine, a neurotransmitter which is believed to trigger atrial fibrillation. In fact, out of 228,465 participants, there was a 6% reduction in atrial fibrillation incidence for every 300 mg/day increment in regular caffeine intake. Moreover, a further meta-analysis of 115,993 patients demonstrated a 13% reduction in incident atrial fibrillation risk.
Likewise, caffeine doesn’t increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmia. In fact, not even 500 mg of caffeine daily, about six cups of coffee, doesn’t affect the frequency or severity of ventricular arrhythmias. In fact, when 103 post-heart attack patients were given an average of 353 mg of caffeine a day, there were signs of increased parasympathetic activity and improved heart rate variability.
Additionally, many other studies demonstrate that people who drink coffee regularly have a lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, as well as, reduced risk for stroke, heart disease, and heart failure.
However, studies suggest that people who drink more than 10 cups of coffee a day have demonstrated a link between coffee intake and ventricular arrhythmias.
Nevertheless, people who consume moderate amounts of coffee are at a lower lifetime risk of developing heart rhythm problems.
It is important to note that not only coffee but there are also other beverages which contain concentrated amounts of caffeine, such as teas and energy drinks. Hence, people who consume 2 or more energy drinks a day have palpitations within 24 hours. So, it’s recommended that patients who take medications for preexisting cardiovascular conditions should avoid using energy drinks. In fact, even 1 energy drink a day in healthy individuals might have a negative effect.
In a nutshell, it has been proven that up to 300 mg/day of caffeine is safe and protective for arrhythmic patients. However, patients who experience a link between caffeine intake and arrhythmia episodes should avoid coffee, as well as energy drinks.