In today’s climate of “special interests”, we have to be very careful about the studies that are followed. We have to do our own research as to what information is in the best interest of the consumers and what is tainted by those with vested interests in the propaganda that is being circulated for those who stand to derive significant benefit.

Case in point is the most recent studies that are being circulated about coffee and the drinking of coffee for its health benefits. One might argue that everyone has a “special interest” but in the interest of your health, you are reminded of the following risk factors of coffee drinking as they relate to heart disease.

Research has recently shown that half our population has a genetic variation that slows the metabolism of the caffeine in coffee resulting in an increase risk of a heart attack. It has been found that if persons with these genes drink 2-cups of coffee per day, it is enough to increase heart attack risk by as much as 32%. People under 59 years old are at a higher risk. By drinking only one cup of coffee per day it will increase their heart attack risk by 24% and having 2-3 cups increase their risk to 67%.

Blood pressure is significantly raised by drinking caffeinated beverages. If you agree that hypertension can lead to the “silent killer” and is the leading cause of hardening of the arteries, kidney problems, poor eyesight, bulges in blood vessels, strokes and other complications; then eliminate coffee and you are well on the path to reducing your high blood pressure.

Decaffeinated and regular coffee are linked to high levels of cholesterol. In just 3-months, decaf coffee can raise LDL so-called “bad” cholesterol by 8-10% so it is highly recommended that if you want to lower your cholesterol levels, one of the changes to your diet should be to eliminate coffee drinking.

An amino acid, commonly associated with heart disease, homocysteine is elevated in the bloodstream by drinking both regular and decaffeinated coffee. What’s alarming is the speed at which this elevation occurs – within hours after drinking coffee so, this is a powerful evidence to demonstrate the importance of eliminating coffee from your diet.

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It has been discovered that inflammation of your artery walls is more significant a risk factor than even high LDL cholesterol levels for heart attacks. Studies have shown that people who drink as little as 3/4 cup of coffee each day have high rates of inflammation and this can be a leading cause of other chronic diseases as well.

Hardening of the arteries can also lead to heart disease and high blood pressure by causing stiffness of the artery walls. Therefore, limit coffee in your diet and could reduce your risk of arteriosclerosis.

The number one cause of most diseases – cortisol, the stress hormone, can impact on your heart and lead to heart attacks. Cortisol can increase your heart rate and blood pressure so caffeine drinking can place you in a constant state of stress or affect your normal heart rate and heart rhythm. The stress hormone can also weaken your immune system leaving you vulnerable to even more chronic diseases.

If you evaluate these seven risk factors, you must agree that the risk outweigh any benefits of coffee drinking. It’s better to substitute coffee with herbs such as roasted dandelion as it has a flavor that is very similar to regular coffee.