Four Cups of Coffee Protects the Heart

Moneylife Digital Team 29 June 2018

In the past, caffeine consumption has been associated with lower risks for a variety of ailments such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. However, how exactly it works has remained unclear. A new study shows how. Apparently, caffeine promotes the movement of a regulatory protein into the mitochondria, enhancing their function and protecting cardiovascular cells from damage. This is revealed in a research published in the journal PLOS Biology, by Judith Haendeler and Joachim Altschmied of the medical faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University and the IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (Duesseldorf, Germany). They are their research colleagues found that the protective effect was reached at a concentration equivalent to consumption of four cups of coffee, suggesting that the effect may be physiologically relevant.

The authors have earlier established that after four or more cups of coffee, caffeine improved the functional capacity of endothelial cells, which line the interior of blood vessels; this helped mitochondria, the cell's energy storehouse. Now, they have shown that a protein called p27 was present in mitochondria in the major cell types of the heart and promoted migration of endothelial cells, protected heart muscle cells from cell death and triggered the conversion of fibroblasts into cells containing contractile fibres. All these are important for repair of the heart muscle. All this happens at a concentration that is reached after drinking four cups of coffee.

"Our results indicate a new mode of action for caffeine," said Ms 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 health span."

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