Great news for coffee lovers! Your daily dose of happiness is recommended to be continued for great health benefits all thanks to the researchers behind this study.
According to a new study, drinking coffee particularly two to three cups a day lowers the risk of heart disease and dangerous heart rhythms. Daily intake of coffee has also been associated with living longer.
This proved true for both people with and without cardiovascular disease.
The researchers looked into coffee's potential role in heart disease and death but it turns out, the results provided reassurance instead. They discovered that coffee isn't related to new or worsening heart disease, but rather it is protecting the heart.
“Because coffee can quicken heart rate, some people worry that drinking it could trigger or worsen certain heart issues. This is where general medical advice to stop drinking coffee may come from" said Peter M. Kistler, MD, professor and head of arrhythmia research at the Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart Institute in Melbourne, Australia and the senior author of this study.
Peter and his team used data from the UK BioBank which has a large database of health information from over half a million people who were followed for at least 10 years.
Their study found that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day resulted in the greatest benefit as opposed to those who drank more or less; less benefit was noted for others. Two to three cups of coffee lowered the risk of developing coronary heart disease, heart failure, a heart rhythm problem or dying for any reason by 10-15%. Among people who drank one cup of coffee a day, the risk of stroke or heart-related death was lowest.
They even did a study with individuals who had some form of cardiovascular disease at baseline. The coffee intake of two-three cups a day was nearly 20% less likely to die than non-coffee drinkers.
“Clinicians generally have some apprehension about people with known cardiovascular disease or arrhythmias continuing to drink coffee, so they often err on the side of caution and advise them to stop drinking it altogether due to fears that it may trigger dangerous heart rhythms,” Kistler said.
Although two to three cups of coffee a day seemed to be the most beneficial, Kistler suggests people not increase their coffee intake if it makes them feel anxious or uncomfortable.
“There is a whole range of mechanisms through which coffee may reduce mortality and have these favorable effects on cardiovascular disease,” he said. “Coffee drinkers should feel reassured that they can continue to enjoy coffee even if they have heart disease. Coffee is the most common cognitive enhancer—it wakes you up, makes you mentally sharper and it’s a very important component of many people’s daily lives.”
