Coffee and Heart Health?

A message from the National Coffee Association:

Many studies have contributed to the conclusion that coffee consumption does not increase the risk of heart attack. It is possible that specific subpopulations could be at somewhat higher or lower risk, as reported by Dr. El-Sohemy and his colleagues, in the March 8, 2006 issue of JAMA. Once their complete study is available, we will be better able to assess whether appropriate correction for other factors, such as caffeine intake from all sources, smoking, etc. has been conducted as part of the data analysis.

“The interaction of genetic factors and disease is a relatively new area of medical research and most experts remain cautious about how results such as the ones from this study should impact public health recommendations for the long term,” said Alan Leviton, MD, of the Harvard Medical School. Moreover, when an association is suggested between a gene and a disease, there are typically issues with replicating the results in subsequent studies.

The International Food Information Council may be able to provide some additional information for perspective.