Health News
Is Coffee Good or Bad?
March 8, 2006
According to a recent study of 4,000 coffee drinkers, two or more cups of coffee a day can increase a persons risk for developing heart disease - but only for some people. People who have a certain genetic mutation that slows the bodies' ability to break down caffeine are at higher risk for developing heart disease related to coffee intake.
In diverse urban areas, the mutation is found in roughly half of all people. People without the mutation can drink as much coffee as they like with no added risk of a heart attack, the scientists said. Unfortunately, there is no commercial test for the mutation, which now puts coffee die-hards in a bit of a quandary.
People who metabolized caffeine slowly and drank two to three cups of coffee each day had a 32 percent higher risk of heart attack, according to the study. Those consuming four cups or more had a 64 percent greater risk.
A single cup of coffee had no effect on heart attack risk, researchers found.