A recent study conducted by researchers at Semmelweis University has brought good news for coffee lovers. According to their findings, drinking up to three cups of coffee a day may significantly lower the risk of stroke and fatal heart disease.
This discovery adds a positive perspective to the long-standing debate about whether coffee is good or bad for heart health. Given that coffee is one of the most popular drinks worldwide, this news could have a big impact on daily habits.
For many years, experts have been unsure about how coffee affects heart health in the long run. Some studies suggested it might be harmful, while others pointed to health benefits.
To get a clearer picture, the research team decided to analyze the effects of regular coffee drinking on the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and overall death rates. They used data from the UK Biobank, a large health database that contains information on hundreds of thousands of people.
The study involved 468,629 participants, all of whom had no signs of heart disease at the beginning of the research. On average, the participants were around 56 years old, and slightly more than half were women. These people were monitored for about 10 to 15 years to observe any changes in their health related to coffee consumption.
The researchers divided the participants into three groups based on how much coffee they drank each day. The first group, which made up 22.1% of the participants, did not drink coffee regularly. The second group, the largest at 58.4%, drank between half a cup and three cups per day. The final group, 19.5% of participants, drank more than three cups daily.
The results were quite surprising. People who drank coffee in light to moderate amounts (up to three cups a day) had a 12% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who did not drink coffee.
Even more impressively, their risk of dying from heart disease dropped by 17%, and their chances of having a stroke were reduced by 21%. This suggests that moderate coffee consumption could play a role in protecting against serious heart problems and even death.
To understand why coffee might have these benefits, the researchers also looked at heart scans from 30,650 of the participants. These scans, done using a special type of imaging called cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allowed the researchers to study the size and function of the participants’ hearts.
They found that people who drank coffee regularly tended to have healthier hearts. Their hearts were not only better in size but also functioned more efficiently. This means that moderate coffee drinking might help protect the heart as people age.
Although the findings are promising, the researchers are still unsure exactly why coffee has these positive effects. They suspect that certain compounds in coffee may improve heart function and help keep blood vessels healthy.
Coffee contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances that might reduce damage to the heart over time. However, more research is needed to understand exactly how this works.
The study’s authors, including Dr. Judit Simon, presented their findings at the ESC Congress 2021, which is a major event for heart health research. They are hopeful that their work will encourage more studies to explore the connection between coffee and heart health further.
For people looking to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke, this research suggests that enjoying a few cups of coffee each day might be a simple and effective way to support heart health. However, it’s always important to consider personal health conditions and consult with a doctor before making big changes to your diet.
This study not only provides insight into the benefits of coffee but also encourages further exploration into how everyday habits can influence long-term health. With more research, scientists hope to uncover even more about how coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that vitamin K helps cut heart disease risk by a third, and a year of exercise reversed worrisome heart failure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing this food ingredient may strongly increase heart disease death risk.
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