Heart: Breaking News
Some interesting tidbits from the world of medical research...
First, in the category of can't we put this to rest once and for all -- Research done at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard School of Medicine and published in the journal Circulation on April 24, 2006, concludes that drinking up to 6 cups of filtered coffee a day does not increase ones' risk of developing coronary heart disease.
This long-term study followed 128,000 men and women for a range of 14 to 20 years. When the researchers controlled for all other risk factors that could cause heart disease, they found men and women who drank six or more cups of filtered coffee daily had a similar risk of fatal and nonfatal heart disease as those who did not drink coffee.
They emphasize that this study was for filtered coffee because apparently unfiltered coffee (boiled and French press) contains "cholesterol-raising substances." I haven't heard that before, so I guess I'll have to ask that researching wonder, Cardiostar (a member of my Heart Disease message board), to find me a reference :>) For years I've been telling patients who have a regular coffee habit that maintaining that habit before or after the development of heart disease isn't going to change anything.
Now that 128,000 people and the likes of the Harvard schools have proven it, I hope that hospitals and traditionally-behaving medical personnel can let people have their caffeine and stop inducing withdrawal headaches in hospitalized patients.
In the category of new treatments from old ideas --
British scientists are in the early stages of developing a drug that binds to C-reactive protein, preventing it from binding to heart muscle during a heart attack.
C-Reactive protein (CRP) increases under any circumstance that causes inflammation in the body, such as trauma, heart attack or stroke, infection, and arthritis. During a heart attack, CRP levels begin to rise at about 6 hours and peak at about 50 hours.
Researchers have noticed that the higher the CRP level during the attack, the greater the risk of death or long-term problems, such as chronic heart failure. They are talking with drug companies who may be interested in funding the development of this drug, and hope to begin clinical trials in humans within one to two years.
The drug would be given to the heart attack victim on arrival to the hospital, effectively reducing the size of the heart attack and thus improving prognosis. Because CRP rises as a result of a number of illnesses, the researchers are hopeful that this medication will ultimately help to control other conditions in which CRP plays a role.
Take care, Laurie
The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.
-- Sir William Bragg (1862 - 1942)
Related Topics: The Buzz on Coffee, Statin Withdrawal Hard on the Heart
Technorati Tags: heart disease, coffee, heart attack, c-reactive protein, CRP
First, in the category of can't we put this to rest once and for all -- Research done at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard School of Medicine and published in the journal Circulation on April 24, 2006, concludes that drinking up to 6 cups of filtered coffee a day does not increase ones' risk of developing coronary heart disease.
This long-term study followed 128,000 men and women for a range of 14 to 20 years. When the researchers controlled for all other risk factors that could cause heart disease, they found men and women who drank six or more cups of filtered coffee daily had a similar risk of fatal and nonfatal heart disease as those who did not drink coffee.
They emphasize that this study was for filtered coffee because apparently unfiltered coffee (boiled and French press) contains "cholesterol-raising substances." I haven't heard that before, so I guess I'll have to ask that researching wonder, Cardiostar (a member of my Heart Disease message board), to find me a reference :>) For years I've been telling patients who have a regular coffee habit that maintaining that habit before or after the development of heart disease isn't going to change anything.
Now that 128,000 people and the likes of the Harvard schools have proven it, I hope that hospitals and traditionally-behaving medical personnel can let people have their caffeine and stop inducing withdrawal headaches in hospitalized patients.
In the category of new treatments from old ideas --
British scientists are in the early stages of developing a drug that binds to C-reactive protein, preventing it from binding to heart muscle during a heart attack.
C-Reactive protein (CRP) increases under any circumstance that causes inflammation in the body, such as trauma, heart attack or stroke, infection, and arthritis. During a heart attack, CRP levels begin to rise at about 6 hours and peak at about 50 hours.
Researchers have noticed that the higher the CRP level during the attack, the greater the risk of death or long-term problems, such as chronic heart failure. They are talking with drug companies who may be interested in funding the development of this drug, and hope to begin clinical trials in humans within one to two years.
The drug would be given to the heart attack victim on arrival to the hospital, effectively reducing the size of the heart attack and thus improving prognosis. Because CRP rises as a result of a number of illnesses, the researchers are hopeful that this medication will ultimately help to control other conditions in which CRP plays a role.
Take care, Laurie
The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.
-- Sir William Bragg (1862 - 1942)
Related Topics: The Buzz on Coffee, Statin Withdrawal Hard on the Heart
Technorati Tags: heart disease, coffee, heart attack, c-reactive protein, CRP
3 Comments:
Glad to know that I had been overly concerned about the effects of caffeine and should be able to now enjoy a couple of cups.... Not sure I could get to the 6 cup level with all the fluttering of heart beat that seems to cause. Don't particularly want to go back to hospital to get heart beat zapped back to normal but would like to enjoy a cup or two at breakfast or in cold weather ..
I am 65 yrs old and have been enjoying drinking coffee since age 13. About 12 yrs ago I was told not to drink coffee because of my high blood pressure. I keep my blood pressure at 118/71 with medication and pulse between 65-70. Thanks for the "heart breaking news".
I am delighted to see that filtered coffee treats are unharmful to the heart, but what about the effect of caffeine on bones? Is a limit on caffeine consumption wise for those with declining bone density?
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