Can coffee trigger a heart attack?

The article was professionally consulted by Dr. Tran Quoc Tuan - Emergency Medicine Doctor - Emergency Resuscitation Department - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital. Doctor Tran Quoc Tuan has more than 12 years of experience in emergency resuscitation.

For those who have a love for coffee, they see it as a "worldly masterpiece". However, the habit of drinking coffee inadvertently causes negative effects on health, especially those with cardiovascular diseases.

Coffee is a favorite drink of many people. On the positive side, it is a stimulant, which increases excitement, alertness, and mental clarity. However, consuming large amounts of coffee can cause certain effects on overall health, especially those with cardiovascular problems.
The most obvious effect of coffee on heart health is the increase in heart rate. People who regularly drink strong coffee have an increased risk of heart attacks, said Ana Baylin, a research fellow at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, RI. Coffee can briefly raise blood pressure, and sympathetic nerve activity can trigger heart attacks.
In addition, coffee also contributes to increased cardiac output, stimulates the respiratory center, dilates the pulmonary and bronchial vessels. For people with a history of heart disease or cardiovascular problems such as tachycardia, myocardial infarction, coronary insufficiency or extrasystoles, coffee should be limited. In recent studies, people who consume coffee in moderation (about 2-3 cups per day) increase their risk of having a heart attack by 60%.
The main cause of heart attacks after drinking a lot of coffee is due to high levels of caffeine in the blood and not enough time to metabolize it. In particular, people with a less stable genetic makeup will have a higher risk of heart attack complications and the severity also increases with the amount of coffee that person consumes. Even their lifespan will decrease with the amount of coffee they consume.

In certain cases, symptoms of a fast, pounding heart, even feeling like the heart is about to burst out of the chest can occur when the body has absorbed too much caffeine. Moreover, the increased heart rate can lead to other dangerous symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, tremors and fatigue. To put an end to these problems, it is best to limit or give up the habit of drinking coffee as soon as possible.
For those who just drink coffee for the first time or drink it on an empty stomach, they may experience "coffee intoxication", especially strong coffee. Drinking coffee can cause phenomena such as heart palpitations, dizziness, increased blood pressure, etc. However, you do not need to be too worried if you encounter this situation, you should rest and recharge a lot. water to flush the coffee out of the body. In case, your heart beats so fast that you feel like you can't breathe, you need immediate emergency care with heart rate medication or an oxygen tank.

As mentioned above, coffee is a drink that contains a significant amount of caffeine - a stimulant that promotes the production of hormones that lead to conditions such as increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, chest pain. and shortness of breath. Therefore, to limit the above health risks, you should adjust your coffee drinking habits and use other stimulants such as alcohol and beer.
For those who are "addicted" to drinking coffee and find it difficult to give up this habit, when using, you should dilute the concentration. For example, 200ml of coffee / cup, you should dilute it to 1 liter to reduce the concentration of caffeine in coffee.

In addition, coffee also has a diuretic effect and makes it difficult to sleep if you use them at night, so you should not drink coffee during this time frame. In addition, coffee also contains some compounds that stimulate the stomach to secrete acid. If you drink coffee on an empty stomach, it can damage the lining of the stomach and increase the risk of stomach upset. To avoid this risk, people (especially those with stomach problems) should only consume coffee when full.

Articles refer to sources: webmd.com, health.harvard.edu