If you’re like thousands of other Australians, you probably start your day with a cup of coffee. And if you’re looking for another reason to keep enjoying your favourite brew, you’re in luck: a new study has found that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day may help protect you from cardiovascular disease and early death.
Does drinking coffee make you healthy?
The study found however, that only ground and instant coffee with caffeine led to reduced risk for arrhythmia, but decaf did not. Black tea was also associated with a lower rate of heart disease despite being selective against flavonoids – an antioxidant class present in many plants which may protect us from cancer or other ailments.
This manuscript adds to evidence showing moderate consumption (3-5 cups per day) protection against cardiovascular events such as stroke. It also adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests coffee may be good for your heart. “This is an interesting finding,” said Charlotte Mills, a lecturer in nutritional sciences at University Reading who specializes in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
The observational study by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Columbia University Mailman have found that coffee drinking is associated with lower risk of heart disease. However, it’s possible this association could be due to factors such as being healthier people who drink more often than not engage in other healthy behaviors like eating fruit which is also rich fibre source
“Does Drinking Coffee Make You Healthy?” The question asks whether there really an effect caused solely through caffeine consumption or if some else involved might explain why those favouring strong brewed beverages seem less likely fall prey diet-related illnesses like type 2 diabetes?
Caffeinated or decaf
Ground caffeinated coffee is the most effective at reducing risk for people who don’t already suffer from heart disease or arrhythmia. The report, which used data from UK Biobank with nearly 450 thousand participants free of cardiovascular diseases before starting their study- found that those preferring strong tasting brews were less likely to develop either condition than those preferring weaker flavors!
This evidence suggests there may be something special about how caffeine interacts with our metabolism when we drink it in foods rather then just relying on solely drinks like espresso martini’s
After an average of 12.5 years, researchers looked at medical and death records for reports of arrhythmia, cardiovascular disease, stroke and death. After adjusting for age, diabetes, ethnicity, high blood pressure, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, sex, smoking status, and tea and alcohol consumption, researchers found all types of coffee were linked with a reduction in death from any cause.
“We found that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee was beneficial, which might suggest it is not simply the caffeine which could potentially explain any associated reduction in risk,” said Duane Mellor a registered dietitian and senior teaching fellow at Aston University Medical School in Birmingham. “The results are intriguing but need to be verified by future studies.”
Caffeinated coffee may be good for your heart, but drinking too much can have negative effects. The most well-known component in this beverage is caffeine which has been linked to reduce early death by 27%. If you’re looking at reducing risk factors associated with mortality then ground or instant coffees will provide less protection than freshly brewed coffee out of french press filled right before serving time!
The takeaway
The takeaway? Drink coffee, but not too much. Moderate your caffeine intake by opting for decaf or instant coffee instead of caffeinated ground coffee if you’re concerned about developing an irregular heartbeat. And as always, consult with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about how coffee might impact your health. Regularly drinking four to five cups of caffeinated ground coffee may reduce the likelihood of arrhythmia, according to a new statement from the American Heart Association.
But be careful not to overdo it! Drinking two to three cups a day of caffeinated ground coffee lowered risk by 20 per cent in one study, while the same amount of decaf coffee reduced risk by six per cent and instant by nine per cent. When it came to irregular heartbeat, however, drinking more than five cups of any kind of coffee increased the likelihood of arrhythmia. So if you’re worried about developing heart problems, drink moderate amounts of regular or decaffeinated grounds coffee and opt for instant if you want more than three cups a day.
Either way it’s nice to know that your morning cup of coffee is not only waking you up, but keeping you from the big sleep. As always, talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine.
