Caffeinated Coffee Does Not Increase Daily Premature Atrial Contractions

FRIDAY, March 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Consumption of caffeinated coffee does not result in significantly more daily premature atrial contractions among healthy adults, according to a study published in the March 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Gregory M. Marcus, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues conducted a prospective, case-crossover trial to examine the effects of caffeinated coffee on cardiac ectopy and arrhythmias, daily step counts, sleep minutes, and serum glucose levels among 100 adults. Daily text messages sent over 14 days were used to randomly instruct participants to consume caffeinated coffee or avoid caffeine.

The researchers observed 58 daily premature atrial contractions with consumption of caffeinated coffee compared with 53 daily events when caffeine was avoided (rate ratio, 1.09; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.98 to 1.20; P = 0.10). Consumption of caffeinated coffee and no caffeine intake, respectively, were associated with 154 and 102 daily premature ventricular contractions (rate ratio, 1.51; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.18 to 1.94); 10,646 and 9,665 daily steps (mean difference, 1,058; 95 percent confidence interval, 441 to 1,675); 397 and 432 minutes of nightly sleep (mean difference, 36; 95 percent confidence interval, 25 to 47); and serum glucose levels of 95 and 96 mg/dL (mean difference, −0.41; 95 percent confidence interval, −5.42 to 4.60).

“These findings suggest protean health-related consequences of consuming this common beverage and provide both clinicians and patients with information that may assist in customizing consumption of coffee to appropriately fit with individual health goals,” the authors write.