Killer in the cup of java

Having a cup of java and getting up in the morning is a routine with most of the people. But could having that cup of coffee pour you down?

A study conducted by Harvard and Brown University researchers show that some people, after drinking the cup of joe, may have a heart attack within an hour.

People who consume coffee once in a blue moon, and those with a sedentary lifestyle, are at the highest risk for a coronary heart disease.

People with three or more risk factors for coronary heart disease were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack after drinking a cup of coffee.

The study was conducted by Ana Baylin and her colleagues at the Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island. 503 cases of non-fatal heart attacks were studied and it was found that coffee causes high blood pressure and increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. This affects a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque, and triggers a heart attack

The medical history, modus vivendi and the amount of coffee ingestion of the patients were studied.

Risk is no less for the moderate drinkers. The researchers found moderate coffee drinkers increased their peril of having a heart attack by 60% after having one cup of coffee. However, the heavy drinkers are at the lowest risk.

Coffee drinkers, who have three or more risk factors for heart disease, double their risk of suffering from an attack after devouring a cup.

Dr. Jennifer Mieres, a cardiologist, said that the data collected is arguable. Some studies suggest a positive link, while others suggest an inverse relation between the intake of coffee and sustaining a heart attack. She said that studies should be taken into consideration but it should not blame coffee to be the main cause.

In the past, the FDA and the American Heart Association have given coffee the okay. But these findings are likely to force more research on the safety of coffee.