The researchers contradicted a popular doctor's advice that "don't drink coffee if you have a heart problem" in a recent study published on PLOS by biologists Joachim Altschmied, Ph.D., and Judith Haendeler, Ph.D., according to Inverse.
Previous research has shown that drinking four cups or more of coffee reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.
Caffeine has the ability to “push” a protein called p27 into the mitochondria, or energy powerhouses, of cardiac cells, according to the researchers. As a result, those heart cells may be able to work more efficiently. They discovered that this procedure had a time-machine effect based on the experimental results.
Caffeinated old mice’s mitochondria performed just as well as healthy younger mice’s mitochondria. The mice were given a caffeine dose comparable to four cups of coffee, and their heart health was assessed. The presence of p27 appeared to rejuvenate the mitochondria in “aged” mice who had received that amount.
Caffeinated mice showed increased mobility of endothelial cells, which can assist the heart in rebuilding blood conduits like arteries and protect against additional cell loss when they were given researcher-induced heart attacks that kill heart cells.
The researchers believe this technique may have consequences for people recuperating from heart attacks, but they stress that the research is still in its early stages.
Patients with tumors should be cautious, according to the experts, because any form of blood vessel growth can assist a tumor’s survival. They go on to say that using caffeine pills isn’t a quick fix for better heart health.