Heart Palpitations? Coffee Isn't To Blame, Says A New Study

While some might worry about the effects of coffee on their heart - a new study reveals that regular caffeine intake does not cause heart palpitations.

Extra heartbeats or palpitations are a relatively common diagnosis and only rarely leads to morbidity or mortality caused by stroke or heart disease, writes Tech Times. The study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) contests the common medical belief that caffeine consumption can result in irregular heart rhythms that eventually lead to future cardiovascular health issues.

"Clinical recommendations advising against the regular consumption of caffeinated products to prevent disturbances of the heart's cardiac rhythm should be reconsidered, as we may unnecessarily be discouraging consumption of items like chocolate, coffee and tea that might actually have cardiovascular benefits," Dr. Gregory Marcus, UCSF Health cardiologist, said in a news release.

Researchers assessed the effects of caffeine on 1,388 healthy people by tracking their consumption of tea, chocolate and coffee - foods all containing caffeine - over a period of 12 months. The participants were also given a portable device that monitored their heart rhythm 24 hours a day.

The participants were selected by the researchers at random from a database of 6,000 patients from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Cardiovascular Health Study. Of the chosen sample, 840 people or 61 percent consumed one or more beverage containing caffeine each day.

While the team included coffee, chocolate and tea in their study - they excluded highly caffeinated energy drinks.

After analyzing their results they found that there were no differences in the number of premature atrial contractions (PACs) or premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) in the study sample. The results showed that high consumption of caffeinated products were not linked to palpitations, writes Tech Times.

"This was the first community-based sample to look at the impact of caffeine on extra heartbeats, as previous studies looked at people with known arrhythmias," Shalini Dixit, a medical student at the UCSF and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

PACs and PVCs are conditions that lead to serious complications. PACs are associated with atrial fibrillation, stroke and death. PVCs are also linked to complications including an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease, heart failure and in some cases, even death.

According to the current guidelines published by the American Heart Association, if a patient's medical history shows that they suffer consistent premature extra heartbeats - caffeine, alcohol and nicotine should be avoided, as they can exacerbate the condition.

Despite their findings, the researchers caution that further study is needed on the relationship between caffeine consumption and heart palpitations.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.