Drinking coffee linked to a much lower risk of heart disease, death
Drinking a few cups of coffee each day is associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality, according to new research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.[1]
“The results suggest that mild to moderate intake of ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle,” senior author Peter M. Kistler, MBBS, PhD, a cardiologist with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia, said in a statement.
Kistler et al. examined data from nearly 450,000 patients who participated in the U.K. Biobank study. While 44.1% of participants typically preferred instant coffee, 18.4% preferred ground coffee and 15.2% preferred decaffeinated coffee. The median age was 58 years old, 55.3% of patients were women, and the median follow-up period was 12.5 years. During that follow-up period, 6.2% patients died and 9.6% of patients were diagnosed with CVD.
Overall, ground coffee, instant coffee and decaffeinated coffee were all associated with significant reductions in CVD, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. The researchers defined CVD as a composite of coronary heart disease, congestive cardiac failure and ischemic stroke. Drinking two to three cups of coffee per day was associated with the largest reduction in a patient’s risk of CVD or mortality.
In addition, ground coffee and instant coffee were both linked to a reduction in arrhythmia risk. Drinking four to five cups of ground coffee per day or two to three cups of instant coffee were associated with the largest reductions in a patient’s arrhythmia risk. No amount of decaffeinated coffee, however, lowered a patient’s arrhythmia risk.
What, exactly, is responsible for these risk reductions? Kistler shared this thoughts on this very question.
“Caffeine is the most well-known constituent in coffee, but the beverage contains more than 100 biologically active components,” he said. “It is likely that the non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the positive relationships observed between coffee drinking, CVD and survival. Our findings indicate that drinking modest amounts of coffee of all types should not be discouraged but can be enjoyed as a heart-healthy behavior.”
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.