Coffee good for heart, says study

Moderate coffee consumption should form part of a healthcare plan for people with hypertension (high blood pressure), it has been claimed.

This is because, according to new research, it can benefit the blood vessels around the heart.

A team from the University of Athens studied a group of almost 700 elderly residents, 485 of whom suffered from hypertension.

It was found that those who drank one to two cups per day of coffee had greater elasticity in their major blood vessels (known as aortic distensibility) than those who drank more or none at all.

Low levels of aortic distensibility have long been recognised as an indicator of future cardiovascular problems.

By increasing the load on the heart, hypertension can cause increases in vascular stiffness and reduced elasticity.

Presenting the findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Stockholm, Doctor Chrysohoou, the study coordinator, said: "The study revealed that moderate coffee consumption (between one and two cups per day) is associated with higher values of aortic distensibility when compared with other hypertensive elderly individuals taking less quantities of coffee."

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence recently advised that aspirin should be used to treat hypertension in pregnant women.

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