SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – For most people, coffee is what gets them up and going in the morning. But it might have more of an impact on health than people might think.
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A new study out of UCSF examines just how significant an impact drinking coffee is on health.
"There is this conventional wisdom that coffee may have adverse effects on the heart – in particular, related to the electrical processes of the heart, or heart rhythm disturbances," said Dr. Gregory Marcus, author of the study and a professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at UCSF on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert" on Friday with Eric Thomas and Margie Shafer.
In the past, most epidemiological studies haven’t been able to demonstrate this relationship, according to Marcus.
But in this latest study, subjects were randomized into consuming or avoiding coffee while wearing EKG monitors so researchers could actively see how their heart rhythms changed.
They also monitored sleep patterns and step counts using fitbits.
"In brief, we found no evidence of an increase in the most common early heartbeats that really all of us experience in the upper chambers of the heart – they're called premature atrial contractions," said Marcus.
Having some of these types of heartbeats is normal, but having more can indicate a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation, which is a type of arrhythmia.
The study found that those assigned to drink more coffee with the study had more early heartbeats from the lower chambers of the heart, which can be a cause of heart palpitations.
This can lead to a possible higher risk of developing a weaker heart over many, many years, according to Marcus.
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