Coffee can 'cut risks of heart attack' claims

Conclusion This large cross-sectional study found that people who reported drinking between three to five cups of coffee per day in the previous year were less likely to have calcium deposits in the coronary arteries than people who did not drink coffee. There was no statistically significant difference for people consuming any other level of coffee compared to those who don’t drink coffee. This type of study cannot prove that drinking this level of coffee stopped calcium being deposited in the arteries, an early sign of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It shows there is an association, but does not explain why. Strengths of the study include the large sample size and extent to which potential confounding factors were taken into account. However, there are some limitations: As with many attempts to collect data on dietary consumption, there is the potential for inaccurate estimates and recall bias. Most of the participants were male, so the results may not be as robust for women. It is not clear how applicable the results would be to the UK population as there may be many unmeasured features of the South Korean diet that could have affected the results. Indeed, South Korea has a lower cardiovascular disease death rate than the UK, though reasons for this are likely to be multifactorial. None of the participants had any symptoms of cardiovascular disease. The study provides a snapshot of the level of calcium in their coronary arteries. It does...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news