Myths About Caffeine #3

Myth or Fact? Caffeine can make heart disease worse. Myth: Doctors often tell cardiac patients, especially those with high blood pressure, to avoid caffeine. But there’s little proof that it raises the risk of heart attack, sudden death or abnormal heart rhythms. In fact, coffee drinking may reduce risk of heart disease -- one of the benefits of caffeine. People who drank 3-5 cups of coffee a day had the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a 2013 meta-analysis by Harvard University. Drinking tea – black and green – may also have heart-healthy benefits. “Tea in general seems to have cardiovascular benefits,” says Dr. Messerli, also a cardiologist and director of hypertension at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan. “The benefits of tea are probably due to its antioxidant properties,” he says. But not all teas are created equal. Herbal ones, such as chamomile, rosebud and elderberry, don’t have the same antioxidants. Plus, “when you add cream or milk, you may abolish the benefits,” Dr. Messerli says, “because it seems that the milk or the cream prevents the antioxidant substance from acting.” Please go to this site to order Ganolife Gourmet Enriched Coffee. www.ganolifevo.com/wwammcafe