New Delhi, OCT 9 (IANS): Consuming more caffeine, present in coffee, tea, and cocoa may improve heart health in people with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study on Wednesday.

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. This is both due to the disease and some treatments for them, particularly cortisone derivatives.

To date, these patients were given conventional recommendations like quitting smoking, reducing cholesterol, and controlling high blood pressure, the new study published in the journal Rheumatology, added drinking caffeine to the list to boost their heart health.

Researchers from Sapienza University of Rome, in Italy, suggested that caffeine, present in coffee, tea, and cocoa, actively helps endothelial progenitor cells, the group of cells that help regenerate the lining of blood vessels and are involved in vascular growth.

“The present study is an attempt to provide patients with information on the possible role of diet in controlling the disease,” said the paper’s lead author, Fulvia Ceccarelli.

Caffeine not only acts as a stimulant effect on the body but also exerts an anti-inflammatory effect. It is because it binds with the receptors expressed on the surface of immune cells.

In the study, the team examined 31 lupus patients who did not have traditional cardiovascular risk factors using a seven-day food questionnaire.

After a week, the patient’s blood was measured to check blood vessels’ health. The result revealed that patients who consumed caffeine had better vascular health, as measured through endothelial cells, which form the important inner layer of blood vessels.

Ceccarelli called for a longitudinal study to confirm the results and assess the real impact of coffee consumption on the disease course.