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Question:

How does caffeine affect the heart?

submitted by Gail from Houston, 10/22/08

Answer:  
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Mehdi Razavi, MD

Ask a Texas Heart Institute Doctor

Caffeine can have a number of effects. It usually increases the blood pressure and heart rate. This is why some individuals complain of feeling "jittery" with caffeine. It can also increase the incidence of skipped or irregular heartbeats. It can also act as a diuretic (at higher doses). 

In general a cup of coffee is not harmful in most individuals. Beyond that, however, these effects may become more noticeable. I ask my patients with heart rhythm disorders to avoid caffeine.

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Heart Information Center services are made possible in part by a generous gift from the Hamill Foundation.

Updated October 2008
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Through this community outreach program, staff members of the Texas Heart Institute (THI) provide educational information related to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. It is not the intention of THI to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and their diagnosed disorders. Specific medical advice will not be provided and THI urges you to visit a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your questions.
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