ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Atrial fibrillation, called AFib, is the most common type of heart arrhythmia and experts say 12.1 million people in the U.S. will have AFib in 2030. While treatments like beta blockers and blood thinners are ways to deal with it, there might be an additional treatment that doesn’t involve a doctor. And you can do it right at home!
More than 5% of the population older than 65 have atrial fibrillation. But now the solution could be the drink we take in the morning.
“It is proven they may feel stronger heartbeat just because of dopamine, and epinephrine’s higher, but they do not trigger more A-Fib,” said Puxiao Cen, MD, cardiologist at AdventHealth.
And a study by the American Heart Association found that drinking coffee may also prevent cognitive decline in people with AFib.
“The benefits are tremendous,” Dr. Cen told Ivanhoe.
The magic number? More than four cups of coffee per day.
“The more caffeine up to five or six per day is associated with a stronger cognitive preservation in people with AFib,” said Dr. Cen.
People who drank five cups daily had inflammation markers over 20% lower than those who consumed less than one cup daily. Three to five, eight-ounce cups of coffee per day can be part of a healthy diet. But there are also some downsides.
“You are a slow metabolizer, one or two cups already keep you up till early evening, late night, then you shouldn’t try to get to the five or six cup,” stated Dr. Cen.
And coffee drinks like lattes and macchiatos can be very high in calories and sugar which may reduce health benefits.
In the study, scores for processing speed, visuomotor coordination and attention improved by as much as 11% among coffee consumers compared to non-consumers. Currently, there is no research about if decaf coffee has the same benefits.
Contributors to this news report include: Cliff Tumetel, Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Videographer & Editor.
Sources:
https://professional.heart.org/en/education/afib-for-professionals
https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/atrial-fibrillation.html
https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.124.034365
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2024/03/01/can-people-with-an-irregular-heartbeat-drink-coffee
* For More Information, Contact: Tiffany Cahill
External Communications Specialist for AdventHealth Central Florida Division
tiffany.cahill@adventhealth.com
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