ACC researchers say so in three different studies that showed both a lower risk of developing heart disease, but also heart health benefits.
Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day is good for the heart. This is backed up by three different studies to be presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 71st Annual Scientific Session which indicate that drinking the drink as part of normal daily intake patterns is associated with not only a lower risk of developing heart disease, but also heart health benefits. These relationships have been confirmed in both healthy people and those with cardiovascular disease, providing new indications that drinking coffee is safe and can actually protect the heart.
« Because coffee can make your heart beat faster, some people worry that drinking it could trigger or worsen certain heart problems. – said Professor Peter Kistler, head of arrhythmia research at Alfred Hospital and the Baker Heart Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and lead author of the studies. However, our data suggests that daily intake should by no means be discouraged, but rather included as part of a healthy diet for people with and without heart disease. We found that drinking coffee has a neutral effect, meaning it does no harm or is associated with heart health benefits.« .
Kistler and his team used data from the UK’s BioBank and looked at different levels of coffee consumption (from one cup to more than six a day) in relation to heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), heart disease cardiovascular disease and death in people with and without cardiovascular disease. , noting that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day is associated with a 10-15% reduction in the risk of developing coronary heart disease, heart failure, heart rhythm problems or death from any cause. causes. The researchers also found that the risk of stroke or heart-related death is lower in those who drink one cup of coffee a day.
Instead, in a second study, Kistler and his colleagues looked at a sample of 34,279 people with some form of cardiovascular disease. In this population, drinking two or three cups of coffee per day was associated with a lower risk of death than those who did not drink coffee, and drinking any amount of coffee was not associated with a higher risk of heart rhythm problems. , including atrial fibrillation (AFib) or atrial flutter. ” Often, as a precaution, doctors may advise patients with known cardiovascular diseases or arrhythmias to stop drinking coffee, for fear that drinking could trigger dangerous heart rhythms. – added Kistler -. But our study showed that regular coffee consumption is safe and could be part of a healthy diet for people with heart disease.« .
Although two or three cups of coffee a day seem to confer the greatest benefit, Kistler pointed out that this indication does not imply that people should increase their consumption, especially if they are anxious. In a third study, notably, the researchers assessed possible differences in the consumption of different types of coffee (instant, ground or decaffeinated), again noting a rate that two to three cups a day are always associated with lower risk. arrhythmias, strokes and heart failure, regardless of the type of coffee consumed.
The risk of death was also lower for all types of coffee, although decaffeinated coffee showed no benefit against incident arrhythmia, while reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, with the exception of heart failure. . According to Kistler, the results suggest that ” caffeinated coffee is better across the board and there is no cardiovascular benefit to choosing decaffeinated coffee« .