Four cups of coffee a day keep your heart healthy : Study

Four cups of coffee a day is a wise choice for a healthy heart, especially in older adults.

The consumption of caffeine has been linked to lower risks for many diseases, including type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, but the mechanism underlying the protective effects is ambiguous. A new study published in the journal PLOS Biology demonstrates that caffeine promotes the movement of a regulatory protein (p27) into mitochondria, protecting cardiovascular cells from damage and enhancing their function. The caffeine concentration required to reach the protective effect is about four cups of coffee.

Judith Haendeler, professor, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany, and colleagues conducted the study to investigate whether p27 is present in the mitochondria and is indeed required to improve mitochondria-dependent functionalities and whether the protective caffeine effects are causally related to mitochondrial p27.

The authors have previously shown that at physiologically relevant concentrations (i.e. levels reached after four or more cups of coffee) caffeine improved the functional capacity of endothelial cells, which line the interior of blood vessels, and that the effect involved mitochondria, the cell's energy powerhouses.

In the study, the researchers showed that a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B)/p27, known mainly as cell cycle inhibitor was present in mitochondria in the major cell types of the heart. In these cells, mitochondrial p27 promoted migration of endothelial cells, protected heart muscle cells from cell death, and triggered the conversion of fibroblasts into cells containing contractile fibers -- all crucial for repair of heart muscle after myocardial infarction. They found that caffeine-induced the movement of p27 into mitochondria, setting off this beneficial chain of events, and did so at a concentration that is reached in humans by drinking four cups of coffee. Caffeine was protective against heart damage in pre-diabetic, obese mice, and in aged mice.

"Our results indicate a new mode of action for caffeine," said Haendeler, "one that promotes protection and repair of heart muscle through the action of mitochondrial p27. These results should lead to better strategies for protecting heart muscle from damage, including consideration of coffee consumption or caffeine as an additional dietary factor in the elderly population. Furthermore, enhancing mitochondrial p27 could serve as a potential therapeutic strategy not only in cardiovascular diseases but also in improving healthspan."

For further information click on the link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004408