Is coffee beneficial or harmful after a heart attack and for heart disease: everything you need to know about the invigorating drink.
Coffee in the post-infarction period is limited, and in case of high blood pressure and tachycardia, it is excluded from the diet. After vascular stenting and in the absence of hemodynamic disturbances, the non-hazardous dose does not exceed 2 cups per day.
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The effects of coffee on the body
The main mechanism of action of coffee is associated with the alkaloid – caffeine. It increases physical and intellectual activity, provokes processes of higher nervous activity, appropriates energy and helps concentration. Caffeine affects the cardiovascular system as follows:
- activates the vasomotor center;
- increases blood pressure with hypotension;
- increases heart rate, especially in large doses;
- blood flow through the coronary vessels first increases, then decreases;
- low amounts increase the strength of heart contractions.
Caffeine should be used for respiratory and cardiac depression, poisoning with sleeping pills and sedatives, asthenia and vascular spasm, migraine.
Negative consequences of coffee abuse include:
- sleep disturbance,
- frequent night awakenings,
- hand tremors,
- anxiety,
- excessive anxiety,
- nausea and vomiting,
- frequent and strong heartbeat.
Coffee is contraindicated in cases of severe atherosclerosis, cardiac decompensation, glaucoma and in advanced age (after 60 years).
Effects of caffeine on the heart after a heart attack
The main component that has a strong effect on the body is caffeine. With its help, physical and mental activity increases, the processes of higher nervous activity are stimulated, energy and concentration increase.
And the coffee drink directly affects the SS system as follows:
- stimulates the vasomotor center;
- constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure;
- stimulates an increase in heart rate;
- blood circulation through the venous vessels first increases, then decreases;
- increases the intensity of heart contractions.
Can heart patients drink coffee?
Coffee is useful for healthy people because it contains a huge amount of antioxidants that inhibit the processes of aging and organ destruction; constant consumption of a small volume of this drink prevents depression, diabetes, liver disease, improves memory and vision, and has a mild diuretic and laxative effect.
For patients with heart disease, the situation is somewhat different. When metabolic processes in the heart muscle are disrupted, its reaction to external stimuli, including caffeine, changes, so coffee can provoke the development of a hypertensive crisis and arrhythmia.
The only disease for which you can take coffee without risk is neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypotonic type.
After a heart attack
Advice on excluding coffee from the diet of patients who have had a heart attack more than once was revised from a complete ban to allowing consumption with virtually no restrictions. Therefore, in each case it is necessary to resolve this issue personally, depending on the size of the lesion, concomitant disturbances in myocardial rhythm and conductivity, and circulatory deficiency.
Coffee is contraindicated for the following complications in the post-infarction period:
- atrial fibrillation;
- paroxysmal tachycardia;
- frequent or group extrasystoles;
- movement of the rhythm source;
- acquired heart failure stage 2A and higher;
- arterial hypertension, especially during a crisis.
After a heart attack and stenting
If the operation to install a stent has led to significant clinical improvement, angina attacks have disappeared or appear during extreme physical activity, and there are no symptoms of coronary and systemic circulatory deficiency on the ECG, then moderate coffee consumption may be allowed. But it must be a high-quality product, beans or ground, the amount of drink allowed is up to 2 cups per day of medium strength.
Hypertensive patients
Despite the fact that in healthy people, coffee does not increase blood pressure by more than 5 mmHg. Art., but in case of arterial hypertension, taking it can provoke a hypertensive crisis. No matter how phenomenal, the most dangerous thing is the rare consumption of coffee, because when this drink is included in the menu every day, pressure surges do not occur; the blood vessels adapt to the effects of caffeine.
In order to reduce the risk of increased blood pressure, you need to give up strong coffee; it is best to drink less than 1 cup per day. It is contraindicated for hypertensive patients to combine coffee with salty foods.
For arrhythmia
Coffee is not contraindicated for bradyarrhythmia (pulse below 60 beats per minute) and slowing of intraventricular conduction. In similar conditions, caffeine can provoke a heart rate and help normalize the well-being of patients.
For all types of tachyarrhythmia (if the pulse rate is above 90 per minute), you must avoid caffeine-containing drinks. If personal sensitivity to the drink is too high, after consuming it, even healthy people may experience extrasystoles on the ECG.
Tips for drinking coffee
In order to get the maximum benefit from the drink, you need to follow a few tips:
- Do not drink instant coffee (contains chemical additives).
- For brewing, use medium-roasted beans (benzopyrene appears when heated too high).
- Do not allow it to boil during production.
- Be sure to pass the finished drink through a cardboard filter (the content of caffestrol, which increases cholesterol, is reduced).
- The highest daily dose is 3 cups.
- Along with a cup of coffee, you need to drink a glass of unstained water.
- The best time for coffee is 1 hour after breakfast or lunch.
If you have heart pain, palpitations or shortness of breath, or sleep disturbances, drinking coffee is contraindicated. Also, you should not try to cheer yourself up with caffeine in large doses after a sleepless night or intense physical activity, because in such cases you can get the opposite effect and have a negative effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Coffee has a stimulating effect on the strength and frequency of heart contractions when consumed in moderate doses. After a myocardial infarction, admission is possible only after consultation with a cardiologist. If you have hypertension and tachyarrhythmia, it is better to avoid caffeine-containing drinks. In order to prevent toxicity from toxic compounds, it is necessary to brew ground grains correctly.
Figures and facts
People who have had a heart attack have a higher risk of new cardiovascular events than those who have a healthy heart. Lifestyle changes can significantly reduce your risk. According to statistics, effective prevention of recurrent cardiovascular events through lifestyle changes saves 80,000 lives per year in the United States alone!
According to research, quitting smoking, regular physical activity and diet correction reduce mortality by 20-35%. However, despite such a powerful preventive effect, not all people are in a hurry to switch to a special diet after a myocardial infarction. It is known that only 43.4% of patients with cardiovascular diseases in high-income countries and 25.8% in low-income countries adhere to the principles of a healthy diet. Even after receiving full information about the importance of diet correction and the basic requirements for changing it, many patients simply reduce the caloric content of foods and continue to eat incorrectly. At the same time, the principles of healthy eating are simple both to understand and to implement.
Useful video
Watch this video about the effects of coffee on the body:
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Is it possible to drink coffee after a heart attack?
The dangers of coffee for the cardiovascular system have been rumored for a long time. Previously, doctors 100% forbade patients who had suffered a heart attack from drinking coffee, even in small quantities. But due to data acquired in recent years, everything is not so completely accurate, and more cardiologists are more accepting of their patients’ coffee consumption. However, there is no concrete answer to the question of whether you can drink coffee after a heart attack. Everything is personal. So who can’t, who can, and which one? How not to give up your favorite drink and not harm yourself?
Research by scientists
For about 10 years, scientists and cardiologists from the Massachusetts Institute monitored patients who had suffered a heart attack. Those people who drank coffee regularly lived longer on average than those who preferred tea or other drinks. During the control period, those patients who drank a cup of coffee once a day had an almost 50% lower risk of unexpected death.
Scientists from South Korea expressed a similar worldview. The study involved more than 25,000 healthy men and women. They measured the level of calcium in the coronary artery, which directly affects the risk of blockage of the coronary vessels and, consequently, the possibility of a heart attack. After analyzing people's habits, including the level of coffee consumption, scientists found that those who drink 1-2 cups a day have more elastic blood vessels and less calcium deposits.
Interestingly, increasing the amount of coffee to 3-5 cups per day did not have the best effect. Maybe it’s because of the larger amount of caffeine, which in this case narrowed the blood vessels.
Explanation of the data acquired as a result of research work - in natural substances that are contained specifically in coffee. And it’s not just about caffeine; it is found in approximately the same volumes in tea, but also in natural acids, vitamins, microelements, and antioxidants. They have a beneficial effect on the ability of blood vessels to be elastic and cleanse them from the inside.
Who can drink coffee after a heart attack and who can’t?
Despite the results of research, there is no specific advice for all “heart attack patients”. Each body is individual, and there may also be concomitant diseases. It is imperative to consult with your doctor and monitor your condition.
Symptoms to look out for after a heart attack:
- Shortness of breath developed;
- Swelling of the arms and abdomen appeared;
- Mild dizziness occurs from time to time;
- At times, tachycardia occurs;
- During hospitalization there was pulmonary edema;
- Cardiac failure developed;
- Heart rhythm disturbances occur.
If these reasons exist, it is better to give up even one cup of coffee a day, or choose a very gentle concentration. If after a heart attack you feel healthy and there are no serious abnormalities, you can start drinking your favorite drink again. Naturally, controlling the dose and strength of coffee.
Who is allowed coffee after a heart attack?
During the post-infarction period, symptoms should be carefully monitored. Coffee is contraindicated for people with:
- shortness of breath;
- swelling of the arms and abdomen;
- slight dizziness;
- tachycardia;
- pulmonary edema;
- heart failure;
- heart rhythm disturbances.
When a person, after experiencing a heart attack, has the above symptoms, then it is worth excluding coffee from the diet; it is not recommended to drink even one cup throughout the day. And if a person feels normal after a heart attack and has no serious pathologies, then after the permission of the attending doctor, you can gradually introduce your favorite drink into your diet.
What kind of coffee can you drink after a heart attack?
Scientists strongly advise drinking only dark natural coffee with the addition of low-fat milk. All vitamins and nutrients are contained in natural grains. Milk binds caffeine, and it breaks down a little more slowly, which means there is no “shock” effect on the cardiovascular system, but you will still feel alert and energized.
It is better not to drink instant coffee after a heart attack. Naturally, there is caffeine, but there is practically nothing useful left, and chemical processing adds stabilizers, emulsifiers, and dyes to the composition, which are not useful for a healthy person. There is no need to further clog the vessels.
As for decaffeinated coffee, you can drink it if you have some problems with your heart and blood vessels. But experiment carefully, starting with small doses. There is still caffeine there, albeit in the smallest quantity. But choose not instant, but grain, ground. This way you will get useful substances from the grains that strengthen blood vessels.
- Do not drink very hot or ice-cold drinks.
- Do not add heavy cream or milk; avoid whipped cream, which contains a lot of fat and sugar, this can harm blood vessels.
- It is better to drink coffee in the morning, after breakfast, or at least in the first half of the day.
Even decaffeinated coffee after a heart attack should not be carried away! No more than 1-2 cups a day!
- According to scientific research, for many people who have had a heart attack, a cup of coffee helps them recover and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- If the illness is simply suffered, you can drink coffee.
- If you have weights or have other health difficulties, it is better to give up coffee.
- Dark natural coffee with low-fat milk is beneficial for the health of the heart and blood vessels; you can try a caffeine-free drink. Soluble is definitely not useful.
- Drink no more than 2 cups a day, preferably in the first half of the day.
Is it possible to drink coffee after a heart attack and stenting?
A person who has had a heart attack should consult a doctor before drinking coffee. Taking into account his worldview and the state of his own health, the unhealthy person makes the decision himself. If, after a heart attack, symptoms such as shortness of breath, tachycardia, and dizziness do not appear, then you can drink coffee.
If a patient has undergone stenting surgery and does not have angina attacks, then they are allowed to drink coffee, but not more than 2 times a day.
You can drink coffee after a heart attack and stenting, but it is recommended to keep in mind that the product should be natural and not very strong.
Is it possible to drink coffee after a heart attack: restrictions and aspects of consumption.
When drinking drinks that contain caffeine, the vasomotor center is activated, blood pressure increases, and the pulse quickens. That’s why doctors previously forbade clients from drinking coffee after a heart attack. But in the near future, great attention was paid to this issue, and thanks to the research, it was revealed that the effect of caffeine on the body is personal and depends on the course of the disease and the effectiveness of the rehabilitation period.
Conclusions:
- According to scientific research, for many people who have had a heart attack, a cup of coffee helps them recover and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- If the illness is mild, you can drink coffee.
- If there are complications or other health problems, it is better to give up coffee.
- Natural black coffee with low-fat milk is beneficial for the health of the heart and blood vessels; you can try a caffeine-free drink. Soluble is definitely not useful.
- Drink no more than 2 cups a day, preferably in the morning.
Can heart patients drink coffee?
After a myocardial infarction, drinking coffee is not prohibited, nor is it recommended. This is due to the fact that a similar drink can have different effects on the body of heart patients.
- Caffeine excites the nervous system and increases heart rate. This action can provoke cardiac ischemia and lower the patient into a pre-fainting state. This is especially unsafe when a person has previously had attacks of arrhythmia, because coffee can trigger their reoccurrence.
- Coffee beans contribute to the narrowing of vascular lumens, which increases blood pressure, aggravating the human condition.
- Coffee leaches calcium from the body, which reduces the contractile force of blood vessels and impairs blood flow.
If a patient tolerates drinking a coffee drink well, he can drink it in limited quantities.
To determine the rational daily amount of coffee, it is recommended to consult a doctor. The only anomaly in the presence of which a person is allowed to drink it is considered to be neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypotonic type.
After a heart attack
Many doctors agree that after a heart attack it is not recommended to drink coffee for 3 months. After the rehabilitation period, the attending doctor diagnoses the patient’s heart condition; based on the acquired data, he can administer a moderate amount of the product. But there are situations in which a person who has had a heart attack should completely exclude this product from their diet.
- The emergence of difficulties with the control and increase in pressure, which can form with renal failure.
- Appearing glaucoma.
- The presence of acquired pulmonary or cardiac failure.
- Wide heart attack.
- Development of severe atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia.
- Wide infarction leading to the development of cardiac failure.
Also, people who have suffered an attack should not drink coffee if they suffer from high excitability of the nervous system, insomnia, severe mood swings, the presence of gastritis, stomach or duodenal ulcers, or increased gastrointestinal motility.
After a heart attack and stenosis
After installing the stent, the doctor may allow the patient to drink coffee drinks. But you can drink coffee after a heart attack and stenosis only if:
- the patient became significantly better;
- angina attacks have disappeared or they occur only during active physical activity;
- There are no manifestations of coronary and systemic circulatory deficiency during ECG.
After a heart attack and stenosis, the doctor may allow you to drink no more than 2 cups of coffee per day. The strength of the drink should be medium. With all this, you need to pay attention to the quality of the product consumed. It is necessary to abandon the soluble product in favor of ground and grain products.
Which coffee is best?
Experts say that it is allowed to drink only black natural coffee with low-fat milk. It is natural grains that contain all the vitamins and nutrients. With the help of milk added to the drink, caffeine is bound and its breakdown occurs a little slower.
Accordingly, in this case, coffee does not have a strong and sudden effect on the CV system. In this case, the person, as usual, will feel a charge of energy and a surge of strength.
It is better to refuse instant coffee after a heart attack. It contains caffeine, but no beneficial substances. Instead, the taste of the drink is achieved with the help of stabilizers, emulsifiers, and dyes, which are harmful to the body.
Of course, you can drink decaffeinated coffee, especially if you have certain heart or vascular problems. However, you need to experiment with caution and start with small quantities. Preference should be given not to instant coffee, but to grain or ground coffee, this way the body can obtain beneficial substances from the grains that strengthen blood vessels.
Due to the fact that everyone’s body is individual, it is impossible to say whether coffee is allowed after a heart attack or not. It will be useful to some people, while it will cause significant harm to others. Therefore, you can start drinking caffeinated drinks again only after consulting a cardiologist.
What kind of coffee can you drink after a heart attack?
After an attack, it is strictly forbidden to drink a soluble product, because it contains various chemical additives, additional substances in the form of granular powder from acorns and cereals. The instant product contains only 17% coffee beans. Other additives are needed to preserve the smell, shape and freshness of the product, but they can provoke the development of a negative personal reaction in the body.
The drink can be brewed from medium-roasted grains. Making coffee with milk is considered a good option. With all this, the milk component should have a fat content of 1.5-2.5%.
Tips for drinking coffee
In order not to worsen the condition of the body after a heart attack, you should know the aspects of coffee consumption.
- Do not allow water to boil during cooking. It is also not recommended to reheat the drink, because this procedure will increase the strength.
- If you have a myocardial infarction, you should drink 1 glass of water along with a coffee drink.
- After brewing the coffee beans, you need to filter the drink through a cardboard filter. This procedure reduces the level of caffesterol contained, which affects the increase in cholesterol levels.
- You can drink a maximum of 3 cups per day.
- It is best to enjoy a coffee drink 60 minutes after eating in the first half of the day.
Drinks that contain caffeine have a stimulating effect on the frequency and strength of heart contractions, so you should consult a doctor before drinking coffee after an attack. It is necessary to give up coffee drinks after a heart attack if the patient has attacks of increased heart rate, shortness of breath, or insomnia. You should not drink the drink in large quantities, also after a long period of wakefulness or intense physical activity. Such consumption will create a strong load on the cardiovascular and nervous system, which is why it can cause heart rhythm disturbances.
Proper nutrition after a heart attack.
What should you eat after a heart attack? The attending doctor will answer this question for clients. More patients are turning to the doctor with cardiovascular diseases. An accelerated pace of life, constant worries, stress, poor nutrition, lack of necessary parts, bad habits, lack of time to rest - all this often leads to myocardial infarction. Doctors are trying to put the cardiovascular system in order, but the condition of the blood vessels and tissues of the heart depends entirely on a fundamental factor: how the patient will eat.
What should you eat after a heart attack?
By following the diet developed by scientists, you can achieve good results and protect yourself from a recurrent attack of the disease. Most importantly, many people have to change not only their diet, but also their lifestyle in general, since this is the only way the whole body will be able to regain its strength.
Special nutrition for myocardial infarction requires compliance with certain rules:
- It is advisable not to include in your diet foods that contain saturated fatty acids;
- reduce fat intake;
- Seafood should enter the body;
- include vegetable and olive oil in the diet, but use butter as little as possible;
- vary your diet after myocardial infarction with vegetables and fruits, especially those with the most fiber;
- exclude from the diet those foods containing cholesterol;
- It is best not to use salt at all.
It is better to eat often and in small portions; in other words, meals must certainly be fractional.
Following a diet will help you avoid many problems. At this time, the patient is under the supervision of the attending doctor, who will be able to adjust the diet.
For the sick you need to prepare:
Freshly squeezed carrot juice
- soups - low-fat and vegetable broths;
- more watery cereals;
- freshly squeezed carrot juice with the addition of vegetable oil.
Low-fat fermented milk products will also help.
Although myocardial infarction equally affects both men and women, the diet required for the recovery period is slightly different. And the whole point is that the diet of the weaker sex should fight to lower blood sugar levels. Men, on the other hand, are more in need of a diet that would help lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, and then so that the body could get rid of it in a relaxed manner.
The diet is conventionally divided into stages, each of which has its own nuances.
- The acute period, which includes the most difficult 1 and 2 weeks.
- The subacute step is week 3.
- The period of scarring, which depends on the personal abilities of the body. It may take up to three weeks.
Features of rehabilitation
The choice of rehabilitation tactics after an attack depends entirely on the general condition of the patient and the individual characteristics of the body. But the most dangerous is the first month of recovery. During this period, the patient should be under the close attention of doctors and relatives. Therefore, the first stage of rehabilitation after a heart attack takes place directly in the hospital, then the patient is discharged with the condition of mandatory regular visits to the attending physician. When the risk of a recurrent attack is minimized, all that remains is to follow the prescribed regimen.
Medical rehabilitation
Medical or inpatient rehabilitation after a heart attack lasts from a week to a month, depending on the patient’s individual characteristics. While in the clinic, in the absence of contraindications, the patient is prescribed the following series of medications:
- strong narcotic analgesics;
- thrombolytics;
- anticoagulants;
- ACE inhibitors.
This conservative therapy is carried out to maintain cardiac activity and prevent the development of coronary disease. After the acute phase of rehabilitation (bed rest), the patient is prescribed moderate physical activity. At the initial stage, the patient is only recommended to independently turn over on the bed, stretch his limbs a little and sit on the edge of the bed.
At the second stage of the rehabilitation period, medical practice allows you to walk slowly around your own room. And before discharge, physical activity increases, the patient walks along the corridor, flights of stairs and courtyard.
Attention! Also, while in the clinic, a qualified psychologist conducts conversations with the patient and his relatives. Its task is to strengthen faith in recovery, combat apathy and prepare for rehabilitation outside a medical institution.
At home
For the first time after a myocardial infarction, it is undesirable to carry out rehabilitation at home. Despite the fact that morally being close to your family within the walls of your home gives you strength, carrying out health procedures becomes more troublesome. It is not possible to consistently monitor vital signs.
However, after 3-6 months you can begin the maintenance phase. This stage includes the following clinical recommendations:
- maintaining a balanced diet;
- complete cessation of bad habits, especially smoking;
- inclusion of physical therapy in the exercise regime;
- taking maintenance medications;
- regular visits to your doctor.
Important! In the first year of rehabilitation, the risk of another fatal heart attack is 7-10% . This happens because the patient cannot recognize the attack in time; there are often no symptoms. Therefore, it is extremely important to follow all doctor’s instructions and come to your appointment at the appointed time.
Diet in the first days after a heart attack
The difficult first days after a heart attack completely exclude fatty, smoked and fried foods. Dairy products approved by the doctor, boiled meat, well pureed and without salt - this is what you can eat at such a time. If your weight exceeds the norm by far, it is necessary to take into account that this increases the possibility of hypertension, and then atherosclerosis. Therefore, for many reasons, it is necessary to exclude from the menu all confectionery products, including those that contain sugar and fats.
Following the diet rules in this way will help you lose weight and improve your sugar or cholesterol levels. Low-calorie nutrition is the best way out after a heart attack.
Purees, pureed vegetables and fruits, porridge prepared according to all the nuances of nutrition, and weak herbal tea (on the advice of a doctor) will help.
A number of products that may aggravate the condition are strictly prohibited:
- fried, salted, smoked, pickled food;
- having coarse fiber;
- alcoholic drinks, even in small doses;
- tomatoes and sauces and seasonings made from them;
- grapes are excluded from the fruit composition;
- baked goods, especially sweet ones;
- legumes and mushrooms.
Stenting procedure
The subacute period is not so difficult, but control over the diet does not decrease, especially if after a heart attack there was surgical manipulation to improve the patient’s condition. Often the stenting function is performed surgically, in other words, a stent is installed for support. It is necessary to eat in very small portions so as not to overload the body. But to avoid feelings of hunger, you can eat 6-7 times a day, and the last time you need to eat a few hours before bedtime.
It is strictly forbidden to consume the following products after stenting:
- coffee, cocoa, strong tea;
- chocolate;
- various spices;
- butter, margarine;
- alcoholic beverages and drinks containing dyes.
There is a calorie limit for such a diet; it must have a limit of 1,100 kcal per day. It is recommended to ensure that the amount of necessary fruits with a high content of vitamins increases evenly, as well as cereals. Salt is included evenly in the diet, but with a limit: 5 g per day. There should be a negligible amount of fat, and more carbohydrates.