Introduction
This paper is divided into three sections. The first section defines cardiovascular diseases and its increased prevalence in modern society. The second section reviews the primary source of caffeine in the human body and it possible health implications. The third section outlines experimental evidence indicating the ability of caffeine to decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease refers to any disease that affects the heart and other parts of the blood circulatory systems. The blood circulatory system is composed of the heart, the arteries and the veins. The term mainly refers to atherosclerosis, a disease of the blood vessels, but can be used to describe other disease that affects the blood circulatory system. Many of the conditions that affect the cardiovascular systems are however similar in terms of factors that predispose individuals to such diseases, their effects on the body functioning, treatment and management. In the medical profession, there are practitioners who have specialized in the treatment of different cardiovascular diseases. They include radiologists, cardiologists and surgeons among others. However, it is important to note that the services provided by these specialists overlap depending on several factors such as the organ affected by the disease and the specialist available in a particular health facility (Vanhecke et al 718).
The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in many societies around the world has increased significantly over the years. The increased prevalence has been blamed on the changing lifestyles in the modern world. It is estimated that the number of Americans dying as a result of cardiovascular diseases is higher compared to deaths resulting from cancer. According to McGill et al (1999), it is surprising to note that Americans, especially the young people are less aware of the risk factors that are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Consequently, cardiovascular injuries are accumulated from a young age. Thus, although the risks of cardiovascular diseases increase with age, experts recommend that preventive strategies should be adopted at a young age (Vanhecke et al 718). Studies based on scientific evidence have identified several high risk factors which includes smoking, unhealthy diets and lack of physical exercise.
Caffeine and Cardiovascular disease
In the modern world, a cup of coffee at least once in day is part of the culture making caffeine the most common and popular stimulant and psychoactive drug. Over ninety percent of caffeine in human bodies is obtained from coffee. There are many factors that determine the amount of coffee an individual consumes per day which includes environmental factors, occupation and gender. Caffeine has several cellular actions which have prompted numerous studies on its effects on the human body. Due to these cellular actions, caffeine has been found to have important pharmacological effects in the human body. Moreover, studies suggested that the drug is an important stimulant of the cardiovascular system in addition to being a dietary antioxidant. It has also been confirmed that caffeine increases the susceptibility of the cardiovascular system to other stressors but tolerance to the compound develops with habitual use. However, recent studies have found out that that increased blood pressure associated with intake of caffeine is not as a result of cardiac output but rather arterial resistance (Suleman and Siddiqu 1). Previous studies suggested that caffeine may contribute to increased risks of cardiovascular diseases but this has been disapproved by recent experiment which suggests that rather than predisposing individuals to cardiovascular diseases, it reduces the risk (Rob 1419). Due to the antioxidant properties of caffeine, further studies can lead to development of dietary coffee that is more beneficial to individual’s health.
Experimental Evidence
There have been conflicting ideas about the effects of caffeine on the body especially in relation to the development of cardiovascular diseases. The compound is known to increase blood pressure but its ability to increase or decrease the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases is a contentious issue. It has been found that coffee whose main component is caffeine is an important source of antioxidants that are very essential in the body due to their ability to scavenge free radicals among other pharmacological properties. However, the role of caffeine in oxidative biological reactions in the body and inflammation inhibition has not been studied conclusively. Furthermore, this is a new field of study in medical research (Greenberg et al 393). An experiment conducted by Lene F Andersen and other researchers in Iowa sought to establish the linkage between dietary coffee which is the main source of caffeine in the body to the health problems and death as a result of cardiovascular diseases and other inflammatory diseases. The study involved 41, 836 female participant in their postmenopausal age. The finding of the study confirmed the hypothesis that caffeine in coffee is an effective antioxidant and is an anti-inflammatory agent. The study concluded that increased intake of caffeine can significantly reduce the risk of inflammation and development of cardiovascular diseases (Andersen et al 1039).
Conclusion
Cardiovascular diseases are an important health problem especially among the elderly members of the society. The increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is mainly due to the changes in lifestyles. Studies on the pharmacological properties of caffeine have not been conclusive. Although there were studies in the past that indicated to the contrary, recent studies reveal that caffeine reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
References
Andersen, Lene F., Jacobs, David R., Carlsen, Monica H. and Blomhoff, Rune. “Consumption of coffee is associated with reduced risk of death attributed to inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases in the Iowa Women’s Health Study.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 83.5 (2006):1039-1046. Print.
Greenberg, James A., Dunbar, Christopher C., Schnoll, Roseanne, Kokolis, Rodamanthos, Kokolis, Spyro and Kassotis, John. “Caffeinated beverage intake and the risk of heart disease mortality in the elderly: a prospective analysis.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 85.2 (2007): 392-398. Print.
McGill, H., McMahan, C. and Zieske A. “Associations of coronary heart disease risk factors with the intermediate lesion of atherosclerosis in youth. The Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) Research Group.” Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 20.8 (2000): 1998–2004. Print.
Rob, van M. “Coffee Consumption and Coronary Heart Disease: Paradoxical Effects on Biological Risk Factors versus Disease Incidence.” Clinical Chemistry 54 (2008): 1418-1420. Print.
Suleman, Amer and Siddiqu, Nasir H. Haemodynamic and cardiovascular effects of caffeine. 2010. Web.
Vanhecke, Thomas E., Miller W., Franklin, B., Weber, J., McCullough, P. “Awareness, knowledge, and perception of heart disease among adolescents.” European Journal Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation 13.5 (2006): 718–23. Print.