2 minute read
coffee may help with obsessive compulsive cleaning
researchers from the university of jerusalem found a cup of joe was effective at reducing intrusive thoughts and decreasing compulsive behaviour in germaphobes.
your heart health may determine your love of coffee
one of the most popular drinks in the world, coffee has long been the subject of health studies
your love or distaste of coffee may be related to your cardiovascular health.
getty
not the type of person to wake up and smell the coffee? your body may be telling you something.
an australian study of close to 400,000 people, published in the academic journal of clinical nutrition, has uncovered causal genetic evidence that a person’s cardiovascular health plays a role in their thirst for a caffeine-packed punch to start the day. researchers found people with high blood pressure, angina and arrythmia were more likely to drink less coffee — or avoid it altogether — and that this decision is in their body’s best interest.
“people drink coffee for all sorts of reasons — as a pick me up when they’re feeling tired, because it tastes good or simply because it’s part of their daily routine,” said elina hyppönen, lead researcher of the study and director of the australian centre for precision health at the university of south australia. “but what we don’t recognize is that people subconsciously self-regulate safe levels of caffeine based on how high their blood pressure is, and this is likely a result of a protective genetic mechanism.
“what this means is that someone who drinks a lot of coffee is likely more genetically tolerant of caffeine compared to someone who drinks very little. conversely, a non-coffee drinker, or someone who drinks decaffeinated coffee, is more likely prone to the adverse effects of caffeine and more susceptible to high blood pressure.”
related stories
advertisement
enjoying this story? subscribe to our newsletter here
to arrive at their results, researchers studied the coffee-consumption habits of 390,435 people from the uk biobank — a large-scale health database containing the in-depth genetic and medical information of half a million people — and compared this to baseline levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. causation was established through mendelian randomization, an epidemiological technique that uses genetic variants in observational data to determine the effect of a modifiable exposure, such as coffee consumption.
approximately six million canadians — or about 19 per cent of the population — have high blood pressure, according to the heart and stroke foundation, with just 17 per cent of people aware of their condition. only two-thirds of patients have the issue under control despite it being the leading risk for death in the country. around 90 per cent of canadians will develop high blood pressure or hypertension at some point in their lives.
one of the most popular drinks in the world, coffee has long been the subject of study with recent research concluding the savoury stimulant to be useful for everything from decreasing the obsessive compulsive behaviour of germaphobes to increasing the rate at which the body burns fat when consumed before a workout.
advertisement
and now it appears to be a relatively reliable indicator of cardiovascular health as well, according to hyppönen.“whether we drink a lot of coffee, a little or avoid caffeine altogether, this study shows that genetics are guiding our decisions to protect our cardio health. if your body is telling you not to drink that extra cup of coffee, there’s likely a reason why.
“listen to your body, it’s more in tune with your health than you may think.”
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
share story
