There’s good news for people who enjoy drinking coffee. A new study from Semmelweis University suggests that drinking up to three cups of coffee a day may help lower the risk of having a stroke or dying from heart disease.
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. For years, people have wondered whether coffee is good or bad for the heart. This new research gives us more confidence that moderate coffee drinking could actually be healthy for your heart.
The study used data from the UK Biobank, a large health database that includes information from nearly half a million people in the United Kingdom.
The researchers focused on 468,629 adults who did not have heart disease when the study started. These people were followed for 10 to 15 years to see how their heart health and overall survival changed over time.
The average age of the people in the study was about 56 years old, and more than half were women. The researchers divided the participants into three groups based on how much coffee they drank. About 22% rarely drank coffee. Around 58% drank between half a cup and three cups each day. The last group, about 20%, drank more than three cups daily.
The results were surprising. People who drank coffee in small to moderate amounts were healthier than those who didn’t drink coffee at all. Moderate coffee drinkers had a 12% lower risk of dying from any cause, a 17% lower risk of death from heart disease, and a 21% lower risk of having a stroke.
To understand more about how coffee affects the heart, the researchers also looked at heart scans from over 30,000 people. These scans used a special type of MRI to examine the heart’s shape and function. The scans showed that people who regularly drank coffee had healthier heart structures and better heart performance.
This might mean that coffee helps protect the heart as people age. Although more studies are needed to know exactly why this happens, scientists think that certain ingredients in coffee may be good for the heart.
The study was led by Dr. Judit Simon and was presented at the ESC Congress 2021, one of the largest meetings for heart experts. The results support the idea that drinking coffee in moderation can be part of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
However, it’s important to remember that everyone is different. Some people may be sensitive to caffeine or have medical conditions that make coffee a poor choice for them. It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor if you have concerns about how coffee might affect your health.
Also, coffee should not replace other healthy habits. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding smoking are all important steps to protect your heart.
In short, this study suggests that enjoying a few cups of coffee each day might not only be safe—it might actually help you live a longer, healthier life.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about how to eat to prevent stroke, and diets high in flavonoids could help reduce stroke risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
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