Coffee and caffeine's impact on your heart

Have you heard that drinking coffee might be able to give you a long life? Yes, that’s correct; your foolish drinking coffee habits may lower the risk of your dying – but only, of course, with the right amount.

Coffee drinkers can have another reason to feel good about drinking a cup of joe because caffeinated coffee can lower the risk of heart failure, stroke and coronary heart disease, making them unlikely to die from any of these. Coffee drinkers for the win!

Ways to know if you have good heart health

A healthy heart is significant in sustaining your overall physical health. There are 17.9 million people in the world that die every year from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). These diseases primarily include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions [1].

So, how do you know if the heart you should be taking care of is healthy in the first place? Your blood pressure is the first indication and easiest way to see if you have good heart health. Having normal blood pressure is a good sign of a healthy heart. The normal blood pressure is below 120/90 mm Hg, and people with high blood pressure have a systolic pressure of 130 or even higher than this, or 90 or higher diastolic pressure.

Coffee is a well-known beverage known for fine-tuning your focus and boosting your energy levels.

You can also look into your heart rate by monitoring it via different fitness trackers, smartwatches or smartphones. Adults’ normal resting heart rate is from 60 to 100 beats per minute. Moreover, having a lower heart rate at rest means your heart is functioning well.

Checking your cholesterol can be another way to determine whether you have a healthy heart. Make sure to have your cholesterol levels checked every once in a while. The normal cholesterol in adults is less than 200 mg/dL; for borderline high cholesterol, it is around 200 to 239 mg/dL and lastly, at or above 240 mg/dL if you are high in cholesterol.

Caffeine’s impact on your heart health

Caffeine itself is a harmless substance that apparently helps us stay awake, energised and alert. Drinking caffeinated coffee in moderation can surely give you good heart health benefits. On the other hand, too much caffeine consumption and caffeine dependency can have an adverse impact on your heart health.

Positive impacts of caffeinated coffee on your heart

Drinking caffeinated coffee can quicken heart rate, and some people believe that this can trigger or worsen heart health; however, the good news is that research suggests otherwise. The effects of coffee may have neutral or positive heart health benefits to an individual, as research suggests.

Caffeinated coffee can be very beneficial for you; just make sure to drink two or three cups of coffee on a daily basis. By doing this, you maintain your heart health because coffee can improve 10% to 20% of your cardiovascular health [2]. Some cardiovascular improvements you may gain are lowering the risk of developing coronary heart disease, heart failure, heart rhythm problems and dying for any reason.

Moreover, coffee beans have nutritious qualities that can contribute to your overall health. There are over 100 biologically active compounds found in coffee beans that can boost your metabolism, aid in lowering oxidative stress and inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, slow down the absorption of fat in your gut and block receptors that give abnormal heart rhythm. Additionally, coffee may help prevent you from having diseases like stroke and cancer.

The monks at first rejected the berries, and tossed them into the fire. But that roasted the beans, causing a tempting aroma.

Regular caffeine consumption may also be associated with slowing the rate of cognitive decline in older adults. Drinking coffee with caffeine can lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by about four to eight times. The likelihood of having Alzheimer’s and dementia in your later life may also be reduced. In research, it was found out that a good caffeine habit in your 40s and 50s, typically drinking three to five cups of caffeinated coffee, can lead to up to 70% reduction of risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia when you are in your 70s [3].

Stroke is one of the deadliest cardiovascular diseases that actually kill 14 million people every year worldwide. There are around 50 million people who have survived a stroke but will live with permanent disabilities. Surprisingly, drinking caffeinated coffee daily can lower the risk of suffering from stroke by 25 percent, especially for older people.

Negative impacts of caffeinated coffee on your heart

On the other hand, drinking too much-caffeinated coffee negatively impacts your heart. As caffeine can increase blood pressure and heart rate, those who have high blood pressure and drink excessive amounts of coffee can be bad news.

Having high blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic. Consequently, the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart will decrease and can further lead to chest pain or known as angina, and worse, heart disease.

There are also factors other than caffeine in your coffee that can lead you to develop any negative effects on your heart. Some of these factors are adding sugar, cream and chocolate, which can make your cup of joe less healthy. By putting all these extra ingredients in your coffee, you are risking yourself from gaining more weight, obesity, diabetes, and increased blood sugar levels–evidently, all these can lead to heart disease and other health problems [4].

Some other negative impacts of drinking caffeinated coffee higher than the recommended amount on your heart can be an irregular heartbeat, heartburn and palpitations.

How much caffeine can hurt your heart

Most health experts suggest that 300 mg of caffeine is safe and healthy for you and is considered a moderate amount to consume. The 300 mg of caffeine is about three 8-ounce cups of coffee; however, it also depends on the type of coffee you drink and its brewing method.

Some common types of coffee and the recommended number of cups to consume on a daily basis:

Instant coffee – about two cups and a half of coffee with one to two tablespoons of coffee powder.
Espresso – you can consume five to six shots of espresso.
Brewed coffee – around three to four cups of brewed coffee.
Cold brew coffee – drinking two to three cups of cold brew coffee is considered safe.

The maximum amount of caffeine you can drink in a day is 400 mg, which is generally about four cups of coffee. Exceeding this amount can negatively hurt your heart health and increase your risk of heart disease by up to 22 percent.

When to stop drinking coffee

In order to get the good benefits of caffeine out of your drinking coffee habits, monitoring your intake is the best way to go. However, some people really need to give up drinking coffee for the sake of their health. You should stop drinking coffee if you fall under any of the following:

Have high blood pressure – this is also known as hypertension. Continuous drinking coffee despite having high blood pressure will not help you return to your normal state.
Have GERD or acid reflux – caffeine can trigger your acid reflux symptoms.
Struggling with insomnia or poor sleep – drinking coffee can disrupt your sleep and even increase wakefulness.
Have an anxiety disorder – it can cause increased symptoms of anxiety, such as heart palpitations, trembling and headaches.
Gaining weight – it is time to stop drinking coffee for a while to get back in shape if you start gaining weight.

Drinking cups of coffee is healthier with the right and healthy coffee mixtures. Health experts recommend using some alternatives to sugar or creamer if you want to focus on your health. These alternatives can be cinnamon, cocoa powder, liquid stevia, maple syrup, nutmeg, oat milk, sea salt and Vanilla extract.

As with all things, you need moderation. What matters is securing your heart health and overall health, even if it takes skipping a few of your favourite cups of joe!