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A Physicians’s Case for Coffee and Heart Health
You might be surprised by the science that supports coffee consumption in support of a healthy heart
As a Nocturnist (a physician treating hospital patients at night), I use coffee as a means to remain awake and combat fatigue. Even with enough daytime sleep, the natural desire of the body to sleep at night interferes with attention and vigilance. Of all the safe ways to combat it, coffee is probably the most effective.
Also, I have to confess that I simply like drinking coffee: the taste of it, the joy of taking a “coffee break” with co-workers, the mental clarity it brings. I have no desire — nor do I see the need — to stop drinking this beverage that I use for both professional and recreational purposes — unless I see scientific proof of possible harm.
Since coronary heart disease is the most common cause of disability and death in men of my age, I wanted to find out if my coffee habit puts me at risk for a heart attack.
Coffee has been a friend of the medical profession from before things like night-work was invented. During the mid-17th century, it was known to prevent “dropsy, gout, and scurvy” in Europe until more effective treatment options emerged.
