 SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A new study indicates that regular caffeine consumption does not contribute to heart palpitations or extra heartbeats, according to UC San Francisco researchers. The report challenges a widely held belief that caffeinated drinks cause irregular heart rhythms that can lead to heart failure or dangerous heart rhythm disorders and is another vindication for coffee as a safe drink. Senior author Dr Gregory Marcus, of the University of California, San Francisco, said: "Clinical recommendations advising against the regular consumption of caffeinated products to prevent disturbances of the heart's cardiac rhythm should be reconsidered, as we may unnecessarily be discouraging consumption of items like chocolate, coffee and tea that might actually have cardiovascular benefits. “Given our recent work demonstrating that extra heartbeats can be dangerous, this finding is especially relevant.” 
 
 Of the 1,388 subjects participating in the study, 840 or 61 percent consumed more than one caffeinated product daily. Read more: World's first 'caffeinated toothpaste' will give that early morning buzz 
 
 Excessive premature atrial contractions (PACs) have been shown to result in atrial fibrillation, stroke and death, while excessive premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) may result in heart failure, coronary artery disease and death. More frequent consumption of these products was not associated with extra heartbeats. “This was the first community-based sample to look at the impact of caffeine on extra heartbeats, as previous studies looked at people with known arrhythmias,” said lead author Shalini Dixit, a fourth-year medical student at UCSF. “Whether acute consumption of these caffeinated products affects extra heartbeats requires further study.” 
 
 American Heart Association guidelines on the management of premature ventricular contractions state that if a patient’s history is consistent with premature extra heartbeats, potential exacerbating factors such as the use of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine should be eliminated. Other online medical resources for clinicians offer similar recommendations. Recent growing evidence indicates the potential cardiovascular benefits of several common caffeinated products such as coffee, chocolate and tea. (Photo: Getty) 
 
 Those findings have resulted in uncertainty among doctors when it comes to counselling patients on consumption of these products, with patients possibly reducing their intake to avoid presumed cardiac issues.
– Add one more study to the "coffee is good for you" file. Contrary to the long-standing belief that caffeine may cause heart palpitations that can lead to heart failure, new research in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests the claim is, well, rubbish. Researchers surveyed 1,388 people with an average age of 72 about their caffeine consumption, reports NBC News. Some 61% of participants said they consumed some amount of coffee, tea, or chocolate daily. After looking for premature ventricular and atrial contractions in the heart, scientists concluded there was no link between caffeine consumption and heart palpitations, heart fluttering, or other irregular heartbeat patterns, even among those who consumed a lot of caffeine each day. "Clinical recommendations advising against the regular consumption of caffeinated products to prevent disturbances of the heart's cardiac rhythm should be reconsidered, as we may unnecessarily be discouraging consumption of items like chocolate, coffee, and tea that might actually have cardiovascular benefits," says the lead author of the study from the University of California-San Francisco. Current AHA guidelines suggest that a patient with extra heartbeats avoid caffeine, which can worsen the problem, notes CBS San Francisco. Because "this was the first community-based sample to look at the impact of caffeine on extra heartbeats," the researchers say further study is needed, per the Mirror. (There's more good news if you drink three to five cups of coffee per day.)