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Drinking coffee — particularly two to three cups a day — is not only associated with a lower risk of heart disease 

Drinking coffee — particularly two to three cups a day — is not only associated with a lower risk of heart disease and dangerous heart rhythms but also with living longer, according to studies being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session. These trends held true for both people with and without cardiovascular disease. Researchers said the analyses — the largest to look at coffee’s potential role in heart disease and death — provide reassurance that coffee isn’t tied to new or worsening heart disease and may actually be heart protective.

“Because coffee can quicken heart rate, some people worry that drinking it could trigger or worsen certain heart issues. This is where general medical advice to stop drinking coffee may come from. But our data suggest that daily coffee intake shouldn’t be discouraged, but rather included as a part of a healthy diet for people with and without heart disease,” said Peter M. Kistler, MD, professor and head of arrhythmia research at the Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and the study’s senior author. “We found coffee drinking had either a neutral effect — meaning that it did no harm — or was associated with benefits to heart health.”

Kistler and his team used data from the UK BioBank, a large-scale prospective database with health information from over half a million people who were followed for at least 10 years. Researchers looked at varying levels of coffee consumption ranging from up to a cup to more than six cups a day and the relationship with heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias); cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke; and total and heart-related deaths among people both with and without cardiovascular disease. Patients were grouped by how much coffee they reported drinking each day: 0, <1, 1, 2-3, 4-5, >5 cups/day. Coffee drinking was assessed from questionnaires completed upon entry into the registry. Overall, they either found no effect or, in many cases, significant reductions in cardiovascular risk after controlling for exercise, alcohol, smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure that could also play a role in heart health and longevity.

For the first study, researchers examined data from 382,535 individuals without known heart disease to see whether coffee drinking played a role in the development of heart disease or stroke during the 10 years of follow up. Participants’ average age was 57 years and half were women. In general, having two to three cups of coffee a day was associated with the greatest benefit, translating to a 10%-15% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, heart failure, a heart rhythm problem, or dying for any reason. The risk of stroke or heart-related death was lowest among people who drank one cup of coffee a day. Researchers did observe a U-shaped relationship with coffee intake and new heart rhythm problems. The maximum benefit was seen among people drinking two to three cups of coffee a day with less benefit seen among those drinking more or less.

The second study included 34,279 individuals who had some form of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Coffee intake at two to three cups a day was associated with lower odds of dying compared with having no coffee. Importantly, consuming any amount of coffee was not associated with a higher risk of heart rhythm problems, including atrial fibrillation (AFib) or atrial flutter, which Kistler said is often what clinicians are concerned about. Of the 24,111 people included in the analysis who had an arrhythmia at baseline, drinking coffee was associated with a lower risk of death. For example, people with AFib who drank one cup of coffee a day were nearly 20% less likely to die than non-coffee drinkers.

“Clinicians generally have some apprehension about people with known cardiovascular disease or arrhythmias continuing to drink coffee, so they often err on the side of caution and advise them to stop drinking it altogether due to fears that it may trigger dangerous heart rhythms,” Kistler said. “But our study shows that regular coffee intake is safe and could be part of a healthy diet for people with heart disease.”

Although two to three cups of coffee a day seemed to be the most favorable overall, Kistler said that people shouldn’t increase their coffee intake, particularly if it makes them feel anxious or uncomfortable.

“There is a whole range of mechanisms through which coffee may reduce mortality and have these favorable effects on cardiovascular disease,” he said. “Coffee drinkers should feel reassured that they can continue to enjoy coffee even if they have heart disease. Coffee is the most common cognitive enhancer — it wakes you up, makes you mentally sharper and it’s a very important component of many people’s daily lives.”

So how might coffee beans benefit the heart? People often equate coffee with caffeine, but coffee beans actually have over 100 biologically active compounds. These substances can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, boost metabolism, inhibit the gut’s absorption of fat and block receptors known to be involved with abnormal heart rhythms, Kistler said.

In a third study, researchers looked at whether there were any differences in the relationship between coffee and cardiovascular disease depending on whether someone drank instant or ground coffee or caffeinated or decaf. They found, once again, two to three cups a day to be associated with the lowest risk of arrhythmias, blockages in the heart’s arteries, stroke or heart failure regardless of whether they had ground or instant coffee. Lower rates of death were seen across all coffee types. Decaf coffee did not have favorable effects against incident arrhythmia but did reduce cardiovascular disease, with the exception of heart failure. Kistler said the findings suggest caffeinated coffee is preferable across the board, and there are no cardiovascular benefits to choosing decaf over caffeinated coffees.

There are several important limitations to these studies. Researchers were unable to control for dietary factors that may play a role in cardiovascular disease, nor were they able to adjust for any creamers, milk or sugar consumed. Participants were predominantly white, so additional studies are needed to determine whether these findings extend to other populations. Finally, coffee intake was based on self-report via a questionnaire fielded at study entry. This should be considered when interpreting the study findings, though Kistler noted that research suggests people’s dietary habits don’t change much in adulthood or over time. Kistler said the results should be validated in randomized trials.

The study, “Effects of Habitual Coffee Consumption on Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Arrhythmia, and Mortality: Findings from UK BioBank,” will be presented on Sunday, April 3.

The second related study, “Regular Coffee Intake is Associated with Improved Mortality in Prevalent Cardiovascular Disease,” will be presented virtually on Saturday, April 2.

The third related study, “Ground, Instant, or Decaffeinated Coffee? Impact of Different Coffee Subtypes on Incident Arrhythmia, Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality,” will be presented on Sunday, April 3.

 

Bangalore, Karnataka, India
7348802009 / info@srecoffee.com/

 

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Explained: How ‘filter kaapi’ became South India’s favourite beverage

Whether in Mylapore, Chennai or Matunga, Mumbai, the fragrance of freshly-roasted beans, with their promise of a hot, bracing shot of the sweet, milky coffee, has long defined a certain, typically South Indian style of coffee drinking experience.Among the lattes, flat whites and espressos on its menu, Tata Starbucks will now feature South Indian filter coffee – one of the “regional favourites” that the chain is introducing, along with masala chai and small bites, as it seeks to expand its reach in India. The fan base of this style of coffee — served milky and hot, usually, in the stainless steel or brass combination of “tumbler” and “davara” — has grown in the last couple of decades. However, its inclusion on the menu of a brand with a pan-India presence might herald a mainstream status that has long eluded filter coffee.

What, exactly, is filter coffee?

Whether in Mylapore, Chennai or Matunga, Mumbai, the fragrance of freshly-roasted beans, with their promise of a hot, bracing shot of the sweet, milky coffee, has long defined a certain, typically South Indian style of coffee drinking experience.

The “filter” pot used to make it is a metal utensil with two cylindrical parts: coarsely-ground coffee powder is put in the top cylinder, which has fine holes in its base, and pressed down using a metal disc. Hot water is poured over this and the coffee is allowed to brew for about 10 minutes, with the decoction slowly dripping and collecting in the bottom cylinder. The decoction is mixed with milk — cow milk, strictly, if one wishes to make the famous Kumbakonam “degree” coffee – and sugar, and served in the tumbler and davara.The coffee itself is, ideally, made using freshly roasted and ground coffee beans, with purists insisting that no chicory be added to it. Many commercially-available blends, however, do contain some chicory.

A brief history of filter coffee

While tea/chai established pan-Indian dominance — in large part due to a marketing push in the 1930s by the British who were seeking a wider consumer base for the colonial tea industry, the consumption of coffee has been far more limited. The coffee-drinking habit really took hold in Tamil society in the late 19th-early 20th century. Coffee cultivation may have been established in the Mysore region by the 18th century, but most of it was being sent to Europe. As documented by historian A R Venkatachalapathy in ‘In Those Days There Was No Coffee’, by the turn of the 20th century, an enthusiasm for coffee gripped the emerging Tamil middle class.

Expectedly, cultural anxiety accompanied the enthusiasm, with criticism that connected it with “every conceivable and inconceivable malady”. It was deemed more addictive than alcohol, and Venkatachalapathy notes that women, in particular, were seen as having succumbed to its “dangers”. Despite this, coffee became the preeminent beverage in Tamil society, prestigious enough that not offering it to guests indicated a lack of social grace.

Coffee, or kaapi, had become a “cultural marker” and symbol of modernity, particularly for the Brahmin middle-class, distinguished from tea which was viewed as the beverage of the “urban working class”.

‘Breaking Brahmin orthodoxy’

In his book, Venkatachalapathy records a tongue-in-cheek description from 1926 of the “coffee hotels” (also known as “coffee clubs”) that had become increasingly popular: “A public tavern instituted by Brahmins. A messenger from God to break Brahmin orthodoxy.” Even though coffee hotels were frequented by all kinds of people, they were mostly owned and run by Brahmins and almost always had segregated sections for Brahmins and non-Brahmins. While the caste-based segregation is mostly gone, the influence of Brahmins on the filter kaapi culture remains visible to this day in the very design of the utensils used to drink the beverage: the tumbler and davara were designed with outward-facing, lipped rims so that the drinker could pour the coffee straight into his mouth without letting it touch the utensils.As coffee-drinking became common in other regions of South India, the establishment of “Udupi” hotels in other parts of the country — particularly Bombay and Delhi — introduced filter coffee to newer populations. Even now, however, the use of specialised equipment, as well as a certain degree of patience and skill, means that only devoted fans will make the effort to prepare filter coffee at home – despite the wider availability of the filter pots and even packaged decoctions.

 

Bangalore, Karnataka, India
7348802009 / info@srecoffee.com/

 

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Science Says You Should Drink This Much Coffee in 2022

I know those two thoughts don’t necessarily go together, so let me explain. We start with the fact that I’m all for self-improvement, but I’m not the biggest fan of New Year’s resolutions.  

Tying progress to the start of the year seems like a lot of unnecessary pressure. Also, for a lot of people (myself included), the 10 days or so before January 1 (the last few days of pre-Christmas planning and shopping, through a seven- or 10-day vacation period) are likely to be some of the least-self-improving days of the year.

So, if you’re going to tie a resolution to the calendar like this, I think it makes sense to give yourself a chance to score a fast, easy, meaningful win.

I’d advise something that you can accomplish quickly, track easily, and that will provide both immediate and long-term advantages. 

All of which leads us to coffee, and drinking more of it. 

Why? Because study after study seems to suggest it has significant long-term health benefits. Among a few of the highlights:

Truly, we could go on and on, but let’s be sure to add one of the newest studies, which also suggests a short-term benefit many coffee drinkers might be familiar with: better moods.

A study of 5,000 European adults suggested that drinking a cup of coffee (containing about 75 milligrams of caffeine) every four hours can result in better moods during the day.

In our enthusiasm, we should add a caveat: Stop at five cups. Once you get past that, according to a study of nearly 350,000 coffee drinkers from the University of South Australia, you might start to increase the risk of heart disease.

“Based on our data, six [cups] was the tipping point where caffeine started to negatively affect cardiovascular risk,” one of the researchers said.

Now, back to the New Year and the calendar. Because, as new habits go, resolving to drink a bit more coffee probably isn’t a heavy lift for a lot of people.

It’s easy to add to your routine, doesn’t cost a lot — and doesn’t require making a major lifestyle change. Plus, for a lot of people, it’s actually quite enjoyable.

So, here’s to 2022. Maybe you’ll raise a glass of whatever your other favorite beverage might be to toast the new year, tonight.

But in the morning? Drink a bit more coffee. And start the new year with a resolution you can actually keep.

Bangalore, Karnataka, India
7348802009 / info@srecoffee.com/