Just one espresso 'can have damaging effect on the heart'

Just one cup of caffeine-rich coffee has been found to 've a potentially damaging effect on the body & especially the heart, researchers say.
The study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found blood flow reaching the heart was reduced by 22% after a cup of coffee was consumed.

However, researchers found that drinking decaffeinated coffee did not produce the same effects & blood pressure only rose significantly when drinking espresso.

In the study 20 people were used to test the difference between caffeine-filled drinks & decaffeinated varieties by a group of researchers at the University of Palermo in Italy.

The researchers said, of their findings: "The effects we observed may be even more relevant in subjects who 're genetically slow caffeine metabolisers."

They also noted it was not clear if the short-term effects on the heart 're offset by the fact that coffee also has disease-fighting antioxidants.But the damage may be subjected to those one-in-two people who 're more sensitive to caffeine & its effects.

In one espresso there is 107 mg of caffeine, 75 mg in a regular cup of instant & filter coffee contains approximately 120mg/cup.

The Dept. of Health states that no more than five cups of espressos should be consumed in a day, although some people 're less likely to be sensitive to high measures of caffeine.