I recently had meniscus surgery and still have a small haematoma in my knee. I've heard that alcohol and nicotine have an adverse effect on wound healing. As I am a passionate coffee drinker, I would like to know whether caffeine also has a negative effect on wound healing?
Klaus Röhm, by e-mail
There are no serious studies on the negative effect of coffee or caffeine on wound healing. You can therefore drink coffee while your wound is healing, provided you can tolerate it as usual.
However, if you are taking medication, you should clarify whether its effect is impaired by caffeine. For example, you should avoid caffeine when taking painkillers, as it increases their effect. Caffeine also reduces the effect of sleeping pills and can increase the effect of medication that is supposed to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.
In combination with a few antibiotics, caffeine consumption can lead to states of agitation and sleep disorders and even palpitations.
In principle, even completely healthy people should not exceed four cups a day (equivalent to 350 milligrams of caffeine).
