Good news for coffee lovers — a new study from Semmelweis University suggests that drinking up to three cups of coffee a day may lower the risk of stroke and deadly heart disease.
This research adds an encouraging note to the ongoing debate about whether coffee is good or bad for heart health.
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, but until now, the long-term effects of regular coffee drinking on the heart have not been completely clear.
To learn more, researchers looked at data from the UK Biobank, which included 468,629 people without heart disease when the study began. The participants, who were around 56 years old on average and included slightly more women than men, were followed for 10 to 15 years.
They were grouped by how much coffee they drank: 22.1% did not drink coffee regularly, 58.4% were light-to-moderate drinkers (half a cup to three cups per day), and 19.5% were heavy drinkers (more than three cups per day).
The results were impressive. Compared to people who did not drink coffee, those who drank light-to-moderate amounts had a 12% lower risk of dying from any cause, a 17% lower risk of dying from heart disease, and a 21% lower risk of having a stroke.
To better understand why, the researchers also looked at detailed heart scans from 30,650 participants using a technique called cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The scans showed that regular coffee drinkers tended to have healthier hearts — both in size and in how well they worked. This suggests that coffee may help protect the heart from the effects of aging.
The exact reason coffee might be good for the heart is still not fully known. Scientists think it could be because certain natural compounds in coffee have a positive effect on heart structure and function. However, more studies are needed to fully explain the connection.
The study’s authors, including Dr. Judit Simon, presented their findings at the ESC Congress 2021, highlighting their importance in understanding how diet affects heart health.
For most healthy adults, this research suggests that enjoying up to three cups of coffee a day could be part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Still, it’s important to remember that individual health conditions vary, so checking with a healthcare provider before making big dietary changes is always a good idea.
This research not only points to possible heart benefits of moderate coffee drinking but also reminds us that everyday habits can have a big impact on long-term health.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the stuff in your mouth that can increase heart attack risk and statin alternative lowers risk of heart disease as well as cholesterol levels.
For more information about heart health, please read studies that Manganese can help clear arterial plaques and treat heart disease and Aspirin use linked to heart failure.
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