Caffeine consumption linked to better vascular health in study

Consuming more caffeine could improve heart health, according to a study published in the Rheumatology newspaper.

Vascular diseases, damage to blood vessels and their consequences, heart attack and stroke, are among the leading causes of death in the general population. In patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, these risks are even much higher. This is due both to the diseases themselves and to some of their treatments, notably cortisone derivatives.

Until now, doctors’ recommendations to reduce these vascular risks have mainly aimed to avoid risk factors. This included stopping inflammation, decreasing cortisone medications, as well as conventional recommendations such as not smoking, lowering cholesterol, and controlling high blood pressure.

But researchers at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, involved in the study believe patients could improve their vascular health by doing something actually enjoyable. These researchers’ laboratory results suggest that caffeine, found in coffee, tea and cocoa, actively helps endothelial progenitor cells, the group of cells that helps regenerate the lining of blood vessels and is involved in vascular growth .

It is well known that a diet rich in vitamin D (present in fatty fish and eggs) and A (present in many fruits) and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and low in sodium, seems to play a role in reducing inflammatory burden.

Scientists have also wondered about caffeine. In addition to the well-known stimulating effect on the body, caffeine also exerts an anti-inflammatory effect because it binds to receptors expressed on the surface of immune cells. The effect of caffeine consumption on cardiovascular health has been widely studied, with conflicting results.

Researchers studied 31 lupus patients without traditional cardiovascular risk factors using a seven-day dietary questionnaire. After a week, investigators took the patients’ blood to measure the health of their blood vessels. They found that patients who consumed caffeine had better vascular health, as measured by endothelial cells, which form the important inner layer of blood vessels.

“The present study aims to provide patients with information about the possible role of diet in controlling the disease,” said the paper’s lead author, Fulvia Ceccarelli. “It will be necessary to confirm the results with a longitudinal study, aimed at assessing the real impact of coffee consumption on the progression of the disease.”

The research paper is titled “Caffeine Improves Endothelial Dysfunction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus by Promoting Endothelial Progenitor Cell Survival.” »