Does caffeine really cause heart disease?

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 13

Does caffeine really cause heart disease?

By

JUDI SHEPPARD

MISSETT’

If you are mot sure that tlere:is a: valid reason to .Lieut down; your caffeine iritake, you ' may r be in--tc rested to know that a I'nltmber of have demonstrated [aj link[ between coffee consumption aid heart; disease. i In one! recent study, researchers '. studied the coffee drinking habits of oyer 1000 men. The study found that the mbre coffde the men regularly dFank, the greater ■ the rate of heart /disease. Those men who drank at : ’least five cups’ a day were !!’2U times, more likely to [develop heart disease than, those men' who did . not drink coffee. L . •| iMany scientists feel that' , the coffee-heart disease ’ connection; results from the effects! of caffeine on ’’ blood chemistry. A 1983 I study concluded in Norway showed that heavy coffee consumption raises blood cholesterol,! thereby ’ [increasihg the risk of heart disease. Similar results were reported in [a number of siudies performed. in the United States. Stanford researchers [observed increased blood cholesterol [ levels in men’ who regu- ’ idrly drank. two or three i cups of coffee per day. ■ [ Before you jump on the anti-coiffee : bandwagon, you should be aware that there aire some drawbacks to these studies. Enough, in fact, that many medical i experts are] not convinced A.hat there! is stfeficient

muse to tell the world! to mil the plugs [on their! mffee .makers. [ ■ j ' . . Critics cf the coffpe--ieart disease theory pc int mt that there are a nt Hirer of factors : that' inmease our I risk’of develiping heart disease. A ink betwee’n heavy coffee :bns'umption ■ and’ heprt iis v ease does !nc[t’necessarily mean that caffeine is a muse. It is! quite possible hat those individuals who’ regularly consume more han three cups of coffee ilso happen to be eating a' ilgh-fat diet, are sedenary. ,and under a great leal of stress. All three’ of hese' habits ary known to ncrease the risk of developing heart disease. Another drawback ■of these studies is that the actual amount [of caffeine consumed iby [ the study participants was-unknown. Not only i rid' different brands'of coffrie vary, bui the method of preparation greatly influences . the mffeine content of coffee. For example,] drip cbf ee has about 140 milli ’rams of caffeine per cup lercolated' has about I’2o nstant has about 60, anc decaffeinated has. about three' milligrams ,ol caffeine. ; [ '[ T ’ ’.[ ||i!.: Until "more J definitive; research is conducted, the theory that heavy /coffee consumption | [leacfsFjto

iheart disease i Lems ins questionable. However if you are currer tlyi’ reaching for : the c offee pot three or. more ’ timesf a day, you might want to consider' not [waiting around for mo'e [Conclusive evidence. ■ I’ h Here are a few’ tips to help you cut c own your caffeine [intake: [’ F < ® If you drink ! drip or percolated col fee!, consider switching to | instant or [decaffeinated.[ !If you cari’t bear the bought of going cold |tu’key, you may even iwart to mix your regular brew half and half I with ; decaffeinated.! . I. [ ® Drinkj coffee ] froip a coffee cup rather [than a mug. | I.’.J! [|| | ® If you regularly drink soft drinks, ma [sure to opt; for the [caffeine-fi’ee variety. A typict 1 can ebntains about is much caffeine: [as a c hp O f instant coffee. [i • If you) Onjoy the sensation of drinking rtimething warm, try drinking hbrb teai instead. I [,| [ Q: How is cholesterol measured? I’m interested in knowing if I [need! to change my die, ,1 ori if it’s fine the way it [ is. | A: A simple blood test can determine your bipod cholesterol level. The next time you visit your doctor, ;i. ! J; ’ ‘

request that) he> or she take a small blood sample for .a [cholesterol measurement] .A; [laboratory test will! determine the milligrams peif ’deciliter’ (mgdl) ot cholesterol in! your blood’ I I , I F i ■■ According to experts; blood 1 ! cholesterol levels of 240 mg-dlj or higher are too high, raising the risk of heart disease substan-’ tially.! The [average [level for [Americans is 215 mgdl. I However, individuals witli levels ’of 200 or lower are;at much lower risk) ! [ j .i . ■ Q: How can I avoid injury, and what’s the best way to treat my occasional muscle soreness. i i I F ■■ A: Over-exertion is the most | common cause of injury! Exercising too much,' too [soon or simply exercising! to a higher intensity than normal can lead to fatigue and irjury. Practice moderation. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends performing aerobic exercise three to! five I times a wepk for a period 1 of 20 minutps. Use this as I your guideline, and make i sure you give your .body ’ adequate time to recover [ between workouts. [ For muscle sorepess, 1 the type which occurs 24 [ to 48|hours after exercise, j apply) ice| to reduce inflammation and do some easy static stretching.) rt | : | —Copyright Jazzercise ■' ■ i I . ' i i