Researchers using the UK Biobank cohort found that frequent coffee use of two to three cups per day is safe for the heart and may even provide some cardioprotection in certain people.
That amount of coffee consumption, compared to non-coffee users, lowered the risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease endpoints by 8 percent to 15 percent over 10 years.
A separate study found that those who already had cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study had considerably enhanced survival rates associated with drinking two to three cups of coffee per day, without any higher risk of arrhythmias.
The third cut of UK Biobank data showed no difference in the therapeutic advantages of consuming instant coffee vs. coffee prepared from whole beans. The clinical advantages were the same for both types of coffee.
Advantages Whether Heart Disease Is Known or Not
The researchers were able to identify 382,535 persons in the UK Biobank cohort who were free of cardiovascular disease at the time of the study’s baseline assessment. The average member was 57, and women comprised 52% of the group.
People who consume two to three cups of coffee a day are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and mortality from any cause over 10 years. The following were the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI):
HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.95 for arrhythmia
HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.87-0.93 for CHD
HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.88-0.94 for CV disease
HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81-0.90 for heart failure
HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.83-0.90 for death from any cause
At one cup per day, the risk of cardiovascular mortality was at its lowest point (HR, 0.83; 95 percent CI, 0.75-0.93). If you drink more than one cup every day, your chance of a stroke is higher (HR, 0.85; 95 percent CI, 0.75-0.96).
Limitations of the Study and Possible Mechanisms
Because caffeine inhibits the adenosine receptors in the brain, it may have a moderate antiarrhythmic effect. People who regularly consume coffee are more likely to have supraventricular tachycardia when they arrive at the ER.
Coffee consumption has been linked to a considerably decreased incidence of new-onset type 2 diabetes, and caffeine has been shown to have a role in weight reduction by inhibiting the absorption of fatty acids in the stomach and increasing the rate at which the body burns calories at rest.
Coffee beans contain more than 100 physiologically active chemicals. Polyphenol antioxidants minimize oxidative damage and regulate metabolism. Research suggests that coffee drinking may enhance endothelial function; circulate antioxidants; increase insulin sensitivity, or minimize inflammation.
Conclusion
The findings of many studies on the effects of caffeine have been contradictory.
Although it is unlikely that moderate use of caffeine would have adverse consequences in most individuals, how a person responds to the stimulant is largely dependent on highly individual characteristics such as heredity and the lifestyle choices accompanying it.
When someone consumes caffeine, they must be aware that they are taking a drug that has a psychoactive effect on them.