A Cup of Coffee May Cause a Heart Attack

A recent study showed that any cup of coffee one drinks may be its last one, as researchers found that drinking just a cup of coffee may bring about a heart attack. Within one hour from sipping from the flavored and sweet - or simply black - liquid, a heart attack may occur.

However, experts say that we should not take things too seriously and get very worried about the findings. They found that people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and those who are not heavy coffee drinkers, consuming the energizing liquor once in a while, are at higher risk from suffering a heart attack than those who drink coffee on a regular basis.

Researchers at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence found that occasional or moderate coffee drinkers are 60% more likely to have a heart attack within just one hour from having a cup of coffee. People with a sedentary lifestyle, couch potatoes and individuals who also suffer from other cardiovascular disorders are exposed to greater heart attack risk, too. On the contrary, regular coffee drinkers, who have at least one cup of coffee daily, were found to have the lowest risk of heart attacks triggered by the specific liquid.

Researcher Ana Baylinat the Brown University School warned that "people at high risk for a heart attack who are occasional or regular coffee drinkers might consider quitting coffee altogether." Moderate coffee drinkers should cut off for good, because for them a cup of coffee could be "the straw that broke the camel's back."

The team suggested that people who drink coffee occasionally are more exposed to heart attacks because the caffeine in the liquid causes a short-term increase in the blood pressure and also enhances nervous activity. These physiological responses to drinking coffee may bring about a heart attack in those who are not so much into coffee. They are more exposed because their bodies are not accustomed to the responses.

Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of Toronto also drew people's attention that for those "with multiple risk factors for a heart attack and those who have a sedentary lifestyle, a cup of coffee could be the final straw. One should aim to remove some of these known risk factors and have a more active lifestyle."

He goes on explaining: "For those people who are not regular consumers and have other risk factors, getting that jolt of caffeine is probably a jolt to their system. We know that caffeine causes transient increases in blood pressure, so those who are not regular consumers are not used to it, and they get that surge and for a vulnerable heart, that could be the trigger."