Invigorating drink affects mobility and sleep time
The debate about the benefits and harms of drinking coffee seems to be endless. A new study has shown that those who drink this invigorating drink move more, but sleep less.
Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, but the pendulum is swinging back and forth on its benefits and drawbacks, notes CNN.
New results from a small study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine point to both positive and negative sides: Drinking at least a cup of coffee a day, you can move more, but sleep less — and it can raise the risk of one type of heart palpitations.
«The overall conclusion is that not only does drinking coffee have a single health effect, but that the reality is much more complex.» ;, says study lead author Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
“The vast majority of research on this topic has been observational, which means we just look and see what happens to people who drink or don’t drink coffee, which is deeply limited by the possibility that there might be some other a characteristic that determines whether someone drinks coffee, – Marcus said. – The only way to mitigate these potential consequences was to conduct a randomized intervention study.
To get a better idea of the immediate health effects of coffee, the authors recruited 100 healthy adults aged 39 on average from the San Francisco area. They equipped participants with fitness trackers to track their steps and sleep, continuous blood glucose monitors, and electrocardiogram devices that tracked their heart rate. Each participant was asked to randomly drink as much coffee as they wanted over two days, then abstain for two days, repeating this cycle over a two-week period.
The study authors found that on days when participants drank coffee, they took an average of 1058 steps more than on the days of abstinence. But on those same days, sleep was severely affected, with participants spending 36 fewer minutes with their eyes closed. The more they drank coffee, the more they were physically active and the less they slept.
Coffee, apparently, also affected the heart. The researchers found no evidence of a significant association between coffee consumption and premature atrial contractions, which are «very common early heartbeats that we all experience that originate in the upper heart,» says Dr. Marcus. They may feel like fluttering or palpitations in your chest.
«People with more frequent atrial premature beats are at a higher risk of developing a very clinically significant heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation,» the scientist added.
But drinking more than one cup of coffee a day resulted in about 50% -a significant increase in the frequency of premature ventricular contractions compared to days when coffee was not consumed.
These heartbeats come from the lower chambers of the heart, and they can also be felt as a rapid heartbeat.
“So this provides some strong evidence that it may be worthwhile experimenting with coffee avoidance for people who experience unpleasant palpitations associated with premature ventricular contractions,” notes Gregoria Marcus. – There is also evidence that in some people, more premature ventricular contractions can lead to a weakened heart or heart failure. Thus, it is possible that if someone is particularly concerned about the risk of heart failure — for example, he has a family history of the disease or has some other condition that the doctor thinks puts him at risk — he may want to abstain from coffee.
Peter Kistler, who heads the electrophysiology department at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, described the study as strong but warned that «this is a short-term study in healthy volunteers».
“It does not provide any information about the long-term benefits or adverse effects of long-term coffee drinking, – claims Kistler, who was not involved in the study. – It does not provide information about the effects of coffee on people with other health conditions, and in general (study participants) consumed coffee in moderation.
According to Marcus, when people drink coffee, they may be more motivated to exercise. sports or improve performance as soon as they start moving.
But people «shouldn't extrapolate this to energy drinks or high doses of caffeine as a way to intensify their workouts,» as high doses can lead to impairment, the scientist warned.
That coffee consumption led to reduced sleep levels may not be surprising, but a potential genetic aspect to this finding could be as follows, notes CNN. The researchers collected DNA samples from the participants, and those who experienced a greater reduction in sleep duration when drinking coffee had genetic variants associated with slower caffeine metabolism. On the other hand, people with genetic variants associated with faster caffeine metabolism had more ventricular premature contractions.
According to the study, these results suggest that a personalized approach to coffee consumption may be the most appropriate method. health impact definitions.
Peter Kistler had a different take on sleep deprivation. «Coffee is the most common ”drug» to improve cognitive function, he said. – People who drink coffee are less tired. This is not necessarily a negative.
Regarding the association between coffee consumption and premature ventricular contractions, caffeine may contain active metabolites such as aminophylline, which is used in asthma medications and is known to be in high doses. causes arrhythmias, emphasizes Dr. Markus. In addition, «coffee tends to increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, or the adrenaline part of the nervous system, which can contribute to the development of premature ventricular contractions,» he added.
Markus said that the effects found in the study should be considered based on your personal health goals. “People can rest assured that drinking coffee certainly does not entail any imminent dangerous consequences,” – states Gregory Markus.