14 DAY TRIAL // If you're a coffee fanatic - no need to worry, you're not alone in this - then you probably know drinking too much of it can make you a bit jumpy, maybe even shaky.
True, these telltale signs that you've had too much coffee aren't the kind of experiences to look forward to. Then again, at least you can rest assured that your heart is perfectly safe.
As it turns out, there is no evidence that high coffee consumption can cause hectic heart beats. So say researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden in a report in BMC Medicine.
The scientists claim that, having compiled and analyzed data on the coffee drinking habits and the overall wellbeing of some 250,000 people who were monitored over 12 years, they didn't find any evidence that too much coffee correlates with an irregular or abnormally fast heart rate.
Rather, they discovered that moderate coffee consumption is actually beneficial in that it reduces the risk of developing coronary heart disease. It also reduces stroke risk.
“We find no evidence that high consumption of coffee increases the risk of atrial fibrillation. This is important because it shows that people who like coffee can safely continue to consume it, at least in moderation, without the risk of developing this condition,” says researcher Susanna Larsson.
Atrial fibrillation affects millions of people
The American Heart Association estimates that, in the US alone, about 2.7 million people suffer from atrial fibrillation. As noted, the condition comes down to experiencing irregular heartbeats, most of the time happening at a faster pace than normal.
“My heart flip-flops, skips beats, and feels like it’s banging against my chest wall, especially if I’m carrying stuff up my stairs,” a patient described their symptoms.
Medical experts say atrial fibrillation makes people vulnerable to heart failure, blood clots, strokes and other health trouble having to do with the cardiovascular system.
If left untreated, atrial fibrillation doubles the risk of heart-related deaths. What's more, the condition has been shown to increase the risk of stroke 4 to 5 times over.
To reduce the risk of clotting and subsequent strokes in people diagnosed with this condition, doctors usually prescribe blood thinners. Although manageable with the help of drugs, atrial fibrillation is not curable. At least not for the time being.