Coffee Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: What Should We Tell Our Patients?

The association between coffee and the risk of cardiovascular disease has been studied over the past 20 years. Given the complexity of conducting large, randomized, controlled trials to prove causality, conclusions are based on case reports, retrospective studies, and small physiologic trials. Surveys determine that most physicians advise discontinuing or reducing consumption of caffeine in patients with known heart disease, yet this recommendation lacks strong supporting evidence. The following is a short review of the effects of coffee and caffeine on the cardiovascular system that aims to provide objective advice to physicians and patients based on the published literature.