From Geriatric Pharmacy Intern, Jorge Garcia, PharmD(c), Univerisity of Florida College of Pharmacy
In Italy, atrial fibrillation patients had a lower adherence to the cardioprotective Mediterranean diet and a higher intake of caffeine from coffee says Dr. Anna Vittoria Mattiolo from the University of Modena in Italy. Although high caffeine intake has previously been linked with ventricular arrhythmias, its role in atrial fibrillation has been unclear. The study observed total of 400 patients who had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation for the first time and compared them with 400 age and sex-matched control subjects. A questionnaire was used which placed specific focus on the dietary habits of the subjects, specially their adherence to a Mediterranean diet and their coffee and wine intake. In the Mediterranean food pyramid, meats sit at the peak, just above fruits and vegetables, whilst carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, and bread make up its base. Moreover, in a Mediterranean diet, the majority of fats are derived from the cardioprotective olive oil.
The results showed that control patients had been more adherent to the Mediterranean diet even though the total caloric intake was comparable. Also, the patients with atrial fibrillation consumed less antioxidants in total than the control patients (13.5 mmol/d vs 18.2 mmol/d, P
<0.001). The antioxidants the atrial fibrillation patients did consume came mostly from coffee as opposed to the controls who usually got them from fruits, vegetables, and wine (64% vs 54%). Dr. Mattiolo explains that the problem with antioxidants from coffee is that "we don't know [if they] have the same good action demonstrated by fruits and vegetables,". Furthermore, she also mentions that subjects who are not habitual consumers of coffee were more likely to trigger an arrhythmia. Lastly, Dr. Mattiolo claims that people who dramatically raise their coffee intake over a certain period of time are at the greatest risk for developing atrial fibrillation.
In Italy, atrial fibrillation patients had a lower adherence to the cardioprotective Mediterranean diet and a higher intake of caffeine from coffee says Dr. Anna Vittoria Mattiolo from the University of Modena in Italy. Although high caffeine intake has previously been linked with ventricular arrhythmias, its role in atrial fibrillation has been unclear. The study observed total of 400 patients who had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation for the first time and compared them with 400 age and sex-matched control subjects. A questionnaire was used which placed specific focus on the dietary habits of the subjects, specially their adherence to a Mediterranean diet and their coffee and wine intake. In the Mediterranean food pyramid, meats sit at the peak, just above fruits and vegetables, whilst carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, and bread make up its base. Moreover, in a Mediterranean diet, the majority of fats are derived from the cardioprotective olive oil.
The results showed that control patients had been more adherent to the Mediterranean diet even though the total caloric intake was comparable. Also, the patients with atrial fibrillation consumed less antioxidants in total than the control patients (13.5 mmol/d vs 18.2 mmol/d, P <0.001). The antioxidants the atrial fibrillation patients did consume came mostly from coffee as opposed to the controls who usually got them from fruits, vegetables, and wine (64% vs 54%). Dr. Mattiolo explains that the problem with antioxidants from coffee is that "we don't know [if they] have the same good action demonstrated by fruits and vegetables,". Furthermore, she also mentions that subjects who are not habitual consumers of coffee were more likely to trigger an arrhythmia. Lastly, Dr. Mattiolo claims that people who dramatically raise their coffee intake over a certain period of time are at the greatest risk for developing atrial fibrillation.