Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."
Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."
Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
More Research on Coffee (& Caffeine)! Could it Actually Help Prevent A-Fib?
Yes—another study about coffee and Atrial Fibrillation.
A retrospective study from Australia included 228,465 subjects. Researchers found that drinking coffee lowered atrial fibrillation occurrence. Regular coffee drinkers had a 6% average reduction in A-Fib. While heavy coffee drinkers had a 16% reduction. How do they explain this? Caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine, a compound that can facilitate A-Fib.
Conclusion: In this one study, researchers found that coffee doesn’t increase abnormal heart rhythms—but helps prevent them.
Coffee and the Bottom Line for A-Fib Patients
Needless to say, the caffeine in coffee is a stimulant. And we don’t all react to stimulants the same way.
Remember, A-Fib is not a “one-size fits all” disease. Contrary to this research, coffee or caffeine may trigger or worsen your A-Fib. So, you may want to start (or continue) avoiding caffeinated beverages until your A-Fib is cured.
For some, drinking coffee regularly (including me) may have no ill effects. This research suggests coffee and caffeine may actually help prevent A-Fib.
Coffee May Protect Against Cognitive Decline
Coffee increases the neurotransmitters serotonin and acetylcholine and stimulates the brain. The polyphenols in coffee may prevent tissue damage by free radicals. Trigonelline, a substance found in high concentration in cofee beans, may activate antioxidants that protect blood vessels in the brain.
How Much Caffeine is There in the Food and Beverages you Consume?
Caffeine is not a nutrient but a drug that is a mild stimulant of the central nervous system. Like any drug, the effects of caffeine on the body are not wholly good or bad. For an extensive list of how much caffeine there is in the food and beverages you consume, go to Caffeine Effects, Half-Life, Overdose, Withdrawal
• Naidoo, Uma. Eat for your brain. Bottom Line Health, May 2021, p. 10
