People with a genetic makeup that causes them to metabolise caffeine more slowly have a 36% greater risk of heart attack if they drink two to three cups of coffee a day than people with the same gene who drink one cup or less a day, according to a new study. And if they drink more than four cups, this risk rises to 64%.
“Our data suggest that the longer caffeine is lingering in the system, the more harm it can do,” says Ahmed El-Sohemy at the University of Toronto, Canada, who led the study.
On the other hand, individuals who metabolised caffeine quickly and consumed two to three cups of coffee a day had a 22% reduction in the risk of heart attack compared with those with the same genetic makeup who consumed just one cup or less each day.” (New Scientist)
If you knew your hereditary makeup predisposed you to increased cardiac risk from your caffeine consumption, would you cut back?
