A budding research study executed by Dr. Masato Tsutsui shows that coffee improves the performance and function of small blood vessels, in people who are already free from heart conditions.
Researchers rounded up enthusiastic 20-27 year-olds, who are not in the habit of drinking coffee, and asked them to drink two cups of five fluid ounces of coffee. On one of the days the subjects were asked to consume the beverage the variable of caffeine was switched to decaf without their knowledge. The LA Times report that researchers saw a 30% increase of blood flow on the day that regular caffeinated coffee was administered.
However, that was not the only change, the subjects blood pressure rose considerably without causing their hearts to beat more rapidly.
USA Today quotes Dr. Tsutsui "Our findings give us a clue about how coffee may improve cardiovascular health."
Vincet Bufalino, a spokesmen for the heart association, and vice president of the Advocate Cardiovasular Institute of Chicago cautions the public to await more research into coffee before making considerable alterations in coffee consumption. "it's hard to come to broad-based scientific conclusions based on this one small study. The research is limited to one cup of coffee."
image: Wikimedia Commons
