The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) has updated the cardiovascular health section of the Coffee and Health website to include a new vodcast and two special features highlighting key information in an easy to read format.

In the new vodcast, Dr Esther Lopez-Garcia, Associate Professor from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, joins Azmina Govindji, a registered UK dietitian, to discuss coffee and cardiovascular health. Dr Lopez-Garcia says her own research suggests that regular moderate coffee consumption of 3-4 cups per day does not increase the risk of developing an additional cardiovascular episode in patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or hypertension.  In healthy subjects, Dr Lopez-Garcia conducted a study with over 150,000 men and women from the US over a 24 year follow up period. The findings show a possible reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease among coffee drinkers, and suggests that consumption of two or more cups of coffee per day may reduce the risk of stroke by 20%.

To view the vodcast, click here.

Two special features, aimed at healthcare professionals, have also been added to the cardiovascular health section of the website. The first new resource helps healthcare professionals understand the relationship between coffee and cholesterol. The second feature looks at the relationship between coffee consumption and specific CVD risk factors, including: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and blood homocysteine.