There’s good news for coffee lovers! A new study from Semmelweis University suggests that drinking up to three cups of coffee a day may help reduce the risk of stroke and deadly heart disease.
This adds a positive note to the ongoing debate about whether coffee is good or bad for heart health.
For years, people have been unsure about how daily coffee drinking affects the heart. To learn more, researchers looked at whether regular coffee consumption could influence the chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or dying from heart problems.
The research team used data from the UK Biobank, a huge health study with information from 468,629 people. These participants had no signs of heart disease when the study began. On average, they were 56 years old, and just over half were women. The researchers followed them for 10 to 15 years to see how their coffee habits were linked to their health.
They grouped people into three categories based on how much coffee they drank. About 22% didn’t drink coffee regularly. Nearly 58% were light-to-moderate drinkers, having between half a cup to three cups per day. The rest—about 19%—drank more than three cups daily.
The results showed something exciting. People who drank light-to-moderate amounts of coffee 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, compared to those who didn’t drink coffee regularly.
These results suggest that drinking coffee in moderation may be good for your heart and help you live longer.
To understand this better, the researchers also looked at heart scans from a smaller group of about 30,000 people. These scans used MRI technology to take detailed pictures of the heart. The results showed that regular coffee drinkers tended to have healthier hearts—with better size and function—than those who didn’t drink coffee.
This finding is interesting because it suggests that coffee might help protect the heart from aging. The researchers believe that some ingredients in coffee may lead to positive changes in how the heart works, but they still need to study this more to be sure.
While the study shows promising benefits of drinking coffee, the scientists—like Dr. Judit Simon—say more research is needed to confirm the results. They also note that people should not make big changes to their diet without talking to a doctor, as individual health needs can vary.
The study was presented at the ESC Congress 2021 and has received attention for showing how everyday habits like drinking coffee might play a role in keeping the heart healthy.
So, if you enjoy a cup or two of coffee each day, this research suggests that it might actually be good for you. Just remember to drink it in moderation and keep the rest of your lifestyle healthy too.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about a new cause of heart rhythm disorders and eating just one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables daily can reduce heart disease risk.
For more about heart health, please read studies about blood thinners that may not prevent stroke in people with heartbeat problems and this diabetes drug may protect heart health in older veterans.
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