What people drink without much thought can affect their heart health, specialists say. Water and unsweetened coffee and tea can support cardiovascular health, while drinks high in sugar warrant caution.
TODAY, the health and lifestyle outlet of U.S. broadcaster NBC, recently outlined which drinks are good for the heart and which to avoid, drawing on cardiologists' views and nutrition guidance from the American College of Cardiology (ACC), according to medical sources on the 28th.
Water Is the Best Drink for the Heart, and Coffee and Tea Help Too
Dr. James Stone, a U.S. cardiologist, said he drinks nothing other than water, black coffee and unsweetened tea.
Water is the first drink specialists recommend, because it supplies the fluid the body needs without sugar or calories. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), adequate hydration can ease the burden on the heart as it pumps blood throughout the body.
Recommended daily fluid intake for adults is about 3.7 liters for men and about 2.7 liters for women. Those figures include fluid from food, however, so they do not all have to come from drinking water. Pale yellow urine generally indicates adequate hydration, while a much darker color can signal a shortfall.
Black coffee and unsweetened tea can also benefit cardiovascular health. What matters is skipping added sugar or cream and keeping caffeine intake in check.
The ACC said two to five cups of coffee or tea a day is relatively safe for most adults and is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. It recommended keeping caffeine intake within 400 milligrams a day.
In a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, researchers tracked 167,142 UK Biobank participants for about 11 years and found that those who drank two to three cups of unsweetened coffee a day had a 19% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who drank none.
The risk was 11% lower for those drinking one cup or less a day, 10% lower for one to two cups and 14% lower for three to five cups. Unsweetened tea was also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Because the study was observational, however, it cannot establish that coffee or tea directly prevents disease.
Natalie Rizzo, a U.S. registered dietitian, said polyphenols and other bioactive plant compounds may improve cardiovascular health.
Two or More Sugary Drinks a Day Linked to 21% Higher Cardiovascular Risk
The drinks specialists most often tell people to cut back on, by contrast, are sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas high in sugar.
Sugar in these drinks is absorbed quickly and can widen swings in blood sugar. They are also relatively less filling, making excessive calorie intake more likely, and over time they can contribute to risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as obesity and diabetes.
A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed 105,148 adults and found that those who drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day had a 21% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who drank almost none.
The increased risk tied to sugary drinks showed up even among people who were highly physically active. That suggests regular exercise cannot fully offset the negative effects of these beverages.
Energy drinks also call for caution, because they combine caffeine with various stimulant ingredients and can trigger heart palpitations or arrhythmia in some people. People with heart disease are especially advised to avoid them.
Alcohol, too, is not something to start drinking on the grounds that it benefits heart health. Specialists recommend not taking up drinking at all and limiting intake for those who do drink.
