Coffee and Heart Health
Drinking coffee can help to protect a person's long-term heart health, according to a growing volume of in-depth research. Consuming just two cups of the pick-me-up daily can dramatically lower a healthy adults' risk of developing heart disease.
People around the world start their day with a steaming hot cup of coffee. It's an integral part of many people's daily routine, helping us to get up early in the mornings and stay alert throughout the day. Coffee is a unique product; its beans contain a variety of unique molecules including cafestol and kahweol but there's only one molecule on people's minds when they're waking up - caffeine.
Coffee is the most frequently consumed stimulant on earth - more than 2 billion cups are consumed around the world each day1. Caffeine can be found in a variety of products including chocolate milk, chewing gum, soft drinks, energy drinks and even pain relief tablets.
Many people are unaware that tea can also contain high levels of caffeine, as well as other stimulant-type molecules including L-Theanine. A typical cup of coffee contains around 95mg of caffeine, an espresso 63mg and instant coffee can vary in caffeine content. Herbal teas do not contain any caffeine, unless they have been blended with other varieties. Matcha and green tea contain roughly 35mg per cup while black tea clocks in at a surprisingly high 47mg of caffeine per cup2.
Some types of coffee, including Turkish and French press, have been shown to slightly increase levels of LDL cholesterol, which can negatively affect a person's heart and vascular health3. But this is massively outweighed by the benefits of drinking coffee. Recent research has shown that just one cup of coffee each day could slash a person's risk of heart failure by between 5% and 12%. That's a very significant result, based on a 10-year study of over 21,000 adults. Consuming two cups daily was linked to a 30% decrease in heart failure risk4.
Other research has suggested that drinking between three and five coffees a day can decrease cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk5. It's important to note that this is very high level of daily caffeine consumption; some people may feel overly anxious or stimulated after just one. Like all stimulants, caffeine temporarily raises blood pressure and causes the heart to beat faster than normal. For this reason, drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre must clearly state that children, pregnant and breast-feeding women should avoid consumption. People with a heart or circulatory disease, including high blood pressure, should be especially careful.
Top Coffee Lover Tips...
If you're crazy about coffee, here are some tips to keep your heart-health in check. Avoid adding sugar to your drinks; most adults should be consuming 30 grams of sugar per day at most according to UK guidelines - this is roughly seven cubes of white sugar. Just one spoonful of the sweet stuff can quickly push you over this limit if you're drinking multiple cups daily. Artificial and natural sweeteners can be substituted for sugar, although their long-term health effects are less established.
Some people should limit their caffeine consumption or avoid it entirely. Current NHS advice states that pregnant women, children and young toddlers should not consume caffeine. People with a heart, liver or urinary condition should be particularly careful if drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks. Always check with a medical professional before making changes to your diet and lifestyle.
One place you'll never find caffeine is in a Kwai supplement. Unlike some companies, we don't use caffeine or other unnecessary fillers in our products. We've created a range of garlic-based nutritional supplements to help you achieve and maintain a healthy heart. Kwai Heartcare+ with Japanese Black Garlic is available in packs of 30 and 100 tablets and is formulated to supplement and support a healthy diet and lifestyle. Each easy-to-swallow, daily tablet provides you with 450mg of Japanese black garlic, 2,700μg of Allicin and Vitamin B1, an essential vitamin for heart and brain health.
Sources:
4 Heart
6 NHS