A new research states that elderly people, who have a regular intake of caffeinated beverages regularly, could be benefiting their heart by doing so. The research, conducted by John Kassotis and other researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Centre and Brooklyn College in the US, had the experts using data from the first federal National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study.
Through the research it was revealed that participants who were above the age of 65 years, who had a greater caffeinated beverage intake, displayed lower relative risk of coronary vascular disease and heart mortality, as compared to participants with lower caffeinated beverage intake.
In the report issued, the researchers stated, “The protection against death from heart disease in the elderly afforded by caffeine is likely due to caffeine’s enhancement of blood pressure.â€
The protective effect was also found to be dose-responsive; the higher the caffeine consumption – the stronger the protection. However the protective effect was found only in participants who were not severely hypertensive. No major protective effect was found in patients below the age of 65, the researchers maintained. In addition, no protective effect was found against cerebrovascular disease mortality – death from attack – regardless of age.