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Caffeine myths explored

Many studies of coffee and its affect on health and blood pressure often contradict each other.

So, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) published a detailed analysis of scientific reports in its Nutrition Action Healthletter.

Caffeine is a stimulant drug found in many food products such as coffee, tea and cola drinks. Caffeine is stimulating to the heart and nervous system.

The reports findings

The findings of the report by CSPI include:

• Hypertension - Caffeine gives a small, temporary rise in blood pressure. In a study of 155,000 nurses, women who drank coffee for a decade were no more likely to develop hypertension than non coffee drinkers. However, a higher risk of hypertension was found from drinking cola drinks.

• Heart disease - Patients with heart disease, especially those with high blood pressure, are often told to avoid caffeine. However, an analysis of 10 studies of more than 400,000 people found there was no increase in heart disease among daily coffee drinkers.

• Weight loss - Even though caffeine increases your metabolism,there isn't a long-term benefit to weight control. In fact, in a study of more than 58,000 health professionals over 12 years, both men and women who increased their caffeine consumption gained more weight than those who did not.

For more information on the CSPI report read the New York Times article on line.

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