Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks, with millions of people starting their day with a cup. For years, scientists debated whether coffee was good or bad for heart health.
While some early studies raised concerns, newer research suggests that moderate coffee drinking may actually benefit the heart.
A large study led by researchers from Semmelweis University found that people who regularly drank a moderate amount of coffee were less likely to die from heart disease or have a stroke. The findings were presented at ESC Congress 2021, one of the world’s leading heart health conferences.
The researchers used information from the UK Biobank, a major health database that follows hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the United Kingdom. They studied 468,629 adults who did not have heart disease when they joined the project. The average participant was about 56 years old, and the researchers followed them for around 10 to 15 years.
The volunteers were divided into three groups based on how much coffee they usually drank. About one in five people rarely drank coffee. The largest group drank between half a cup and three cups each day, while about one in five people drank more than three cups daily.
The results showed that moderate coffee drinkers had the greatest health benefits. Compared with people who rarely drank coffee, they 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 suffering a stroke.
To better understand why this might happen, the researchers also examined heart scans from more than 30,000 participants. These cardiac MRI scans provide detailed pictures of the heart’s size, shape, and pumping ability. The scans suggested that regular coffee drinkers tended to have healthier heart structure and function than people who rarely drank coffee.
The researchers believe this may indicate that coffee helps slow some of the natural changes that occur as the heart ages.
Coffee contains many natural compounds besides caffeine, including antioxidants and plant chemicals that may help reduce inflammation and support healthy blood vessels. However, scientists are still investigating exactly how these substances affect the heart.
Although the findings are encouraging, the study cannot prove that coffee directly caused the better health outcomes. People who drink moderate amounts of coffee may also have other healthy habits that contribute to their lower risk. More research, including clinical trials, is needed to better understand the relationship.
For most healthy adults, these results suggest that enjoying two or three cups of coffee a day can fit into a healthy lifestyle. However, some people, including those with certain heart rhythm problems, pregnancy-related concerns, or sensitivity to caffeine, may need different advice from their healthcare provider.
Overall, this large long-term study adds to growing evidence that moderate coffee drinking is unlikely to harm the heart and may even help protect it. Together with regular exercise, a balanced diet, not smoking, and good sleep, a daily cup or two of coffee could be one small habit that supports better heart health over the years.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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