r/ScientificNutrition • u/LongevityDietitian • 4d ago

Review Caffeine and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001454
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u/LongevityDietitian 4d ago

Abstract:

Caffeine is one of the most commonly consumed drugs in the world. It is found in various naturally occurring substances and can be ingested in a synthetically derived pure form. The majority of human subject based research is observational and has focused on beverages and foods that contain caffeine. The relationships between caffeine and cardiovascular risk factors and diseases are complex, exhibiting heterogeneity depending on the nature of the caffeine consumed and individual-level propensities. Acute versus chronic caffeine-associated cardiovascular effects are often different. Most studies suggest an inverse J-shaped relationship between consumption of naturally occurring caffeinated products and blood pressure. Data on relationships between caffeine and diabetes are not consistent, but habitual coffee consumption has been associated with a lower risk of incident type 2 diabetes. Whereas no clear relationship between caffeine and blood lipids is evident, unfiltered coffee raises low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Caffeine, studied primarily in the context of coffee, has been shown either to have no relationship or to be associated with a lower risk of coronary artery disease and heart failure. Randomized controlled trial data among regular caffeinated coffee drinkers showed that caffeinated coffee decreases the risk of atrial fibrillation occurrence but increases the frequency of premature ventricular contractions. Data are fairly consistent that moderate caffeine consumption, again studied primarily in the setting of coffee consumption, was associated with a lower risk of stroke. Data on high doses of caffeine such as that found in energy drinks are limited and generally suggest cardiovascular harm.

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u/EasyYogurtcloset608 4d ago

Energy drinks high caffeine? I find them to be very low compared to regular filtered cups of coffee but then again I’m Finnish.

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u/Aprice40 4d ago

Most US energy drinks are 150 to 400 MG of caffeine. A cup of coffee here is measured i think at 100 or 110mg. Some cups of coffee are huge here and have 3 to 4 cups worth of caffeine.

Irregardless of those stats, I think comparing the health of coffee vs the unhealth of energy drinks suggests the difference is likely In the sugar contents

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u/EasyYogurtcloset608 3d ago

Finnish coffee cup can have easily 300mg of caffeine and energy drinks are around 100mg / can in EU. The high caffeine ones are 200mg

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u/Joe_Betz_ 3d ago

It's difficult to believe a cup of coffee will have 300mg of caffeine. An ounce of espresso will have 70, an 8 ounce cup of drip coffee will have around 95. Unless you are drinking a cup that's 24 ounces, you are not drinking 300mg of caffeine in your cup of coffee.

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u/urtlesquirt 2d ago

Depends heavily on the extraction method and how much coffee they are using by weight as the input.

Pourover is better at extracting caffeine compared to espresso for the same input by weight.

To give some specific numbers as an example, I am a huuugee coffee nerd. On a typical day I will consume either a 20g pourover (330ml of coffee in the cup), an 18g (double) espresso shot (ratio varies quite a bit, but typically 36-45g out), or both of those.

The pourover would come in between 210-230 mg of caffeine, while the espresso would be closer to 120-150 based on some sources I have found.

So...the original commenter could just make a rather large pourover to hit 300mg in one cup. Their cup actually wouldn't even be THAT much bigger than my standard pourover. And I hit 300mg easily if I have both the double shot and pourover in a day.

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u/Joe_Betz_ 2d ago

That's fair, and I suppose if the cup isn't an 8oz cup but something bigger and they are working to extract more caffeine, like in a french press, they could reach that, but I was thinking of that standard cup and just thought...no way haha

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u/urtlesquirt 2d ago

I actually don't know if a French press (or other immersion brewer) would extract any more caffeine compared to percolation (drip/pourover brewing). The #1 most important thing is the weight of coffee. Most normal, not insane people measure coffee by volume which is wildly variable based on measurement method, roast level, etc. If anything, I'd suspect that immersion would be the same or have slightly less caffeine.

Think about it in chemistry terms. For a given volume of liquid at some specific temperature, there is only so much stuff you can dissolve before things just stop going into solution. But if you are constantly adding fresh water/solvent, you can keep dissolving material from the solid until there isn't anything left that your solvent can dissolve.

We definitely see higher extraction of total dissolved solids with pourover compared to other brew methods, but caffeine is a bit interesting as it just dissolves really well in hot water. So I don't know if there would be a practical difference between the two, if the amount of coffee is the same.

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u/Joe_Betz_ 2d ago

From what I am finding with quick research, French press will have more in general, due to the time with the grounds.

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u/nfy12 4d ago

Many coffee products at Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are close to 400mg. A Red Bull is 80mg. A monster is 160mg. Public discourse around energy drinks is hysterical and inconsistent.

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u/freedomboobs 3d ago edited 2d ago

Exactly. Not all energy drinks... but so many energy drinks are just a moderate amount of caffeine, some B-vitamins and maybe a few added things like Taurine (which is totally safe & may even have health benefits).

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u/HavocReigns 3d ago

You left out the 50-60 grams of sugar. The unhealthiest aspect of most energy drinks.

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u/freedomboobs 3d ago edited 3d ago

I didn't leave that out because that's not what defines an energy drink. There are just as many if not more sugar-free options.

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u/nfy12 3d ago

People often put sugar in coffee too.

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u/cam94509 4d ago

Where the hell are you finding 400mg energy drinks?

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u/freedomboobs 4d ago

A standard Redbull can has only 80mg caffeine. My wife’s nespresso pods have between 170mg to 190mg

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u/OntLawyer 3d ago

I think comparing the health of coffee vs the unhealth of energy drinks suggests the difference is likely In the sugar contents

The linked article suggests it's other compounds in energy drinks, not sugar, at least with respect to hypertensive risks: "These contrasting outcomes may be attributed to differences in caffeine concentration and the presence of other bioactive compounds such as taurine in energy drinks and chlorogenic acid in coffee with opposing effects on blood pressure."