Drinking tea and coffee is good for the heart, according to a new study. Consuming more caffeine may improve heart health – particularly for people with rheumatic conditions, say Italian scientists.
The study involved patients with lupus which occurs when the immune system, which normally helps protect the body from infection and disease, attacks its own tissues. The attack causes inflammation, and in some cases permanent tissue damage, which can be widespread affecting the skin, joints, heart, lung, kidneys, circulating blood cells, and brain.
The research team explained that vascular disease, damage of blood vessels, and their resulting consequences, heart attack and stroke, are among the leading causes of death. But in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, these risks are even higher due both to the diseases themselves and some of the treatments for them, particularly cortisone derivatives.
Until now, doctors’ recommendations to reduce vascular risks were essentially about avoiding risk factors. These included stopping inflammation, decreasing cortisone medications, as well as conventional recommendations such as not smoking, reducing cholesterol, and controlling high blood pressure.
But researchers from Sapienza University of Rome believed patients may be able to improve vascular health by doing something that’s actually enjoyable: having a cuppa. The laboratory results of their study, published in the journal Rheumatology, suggest that caffeine – present in coffee, tea, and cocoa – actively helps endothelial progenitor cells.
They explained that they are the group of cells that helps regenerate the lining of blood vessels and are involved in vascular growth. Study leader Dr Fulvia Ceccarelli said: “Besides the well-known stimulant effect on the body, caffeine also exerts an anti-inflammatory effect because it binds with the receptors expressed on the surface of immune cells.”
“The effect of caffeine consumption on cardiovascular health has been widely investigated, with conflicting results.” The Italian study involved 31 lupus patients who completed a seven-day food questionnaire.
After a week the researchers took the patents’ blood to measure blood vessels health. They found that patients who consumed caffeine had better vascular health, as measured through endothelial cells, which form the important inner layer of blood vessels.
Dr Ceccarelli said: “The present study is an attempt to provide patients with information on the possible role of diet in controlling the disease.” She added: “It will be necessary to confirm the results through a longitudinal study, aimed at assessing the real impact of coffee consumption on the disease course.”