In the past, there was an assumption that coffee is detrimental for heart health and its consumption could lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD). There were rumors that coffee consumption lead to increase in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also lead to increase in risk of heart attack and cardiac arrhythmias. However, recent studies have suggested that coffee does not result in increasing risk of heart disease. Rather, regular coffee consumption could lead to lower risk of heart failure and is good for health.
Many earlier researches did not take into consideration other heart disease risk factors including excessive smoking and lack of exercise. However, more recent studies have taken into consideration control for the confounding risk factors. Most of the recent studies say that, when consumed in moderation, coffee does not increase cardiac risk.
A research was conducted by David Kao, a professor of cardiology in the University of Colorado. Kao’s research concluded that there is insufficient evidence to recommend increasing coffee consumption to decrease risk of heart disease with the same strength and certainty as stopping smoking, losing weight or exercising.
Kao and his team carried out three studies in Framingham Heart Study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study. These three studies included 10 years of follow-up for more than 21,000 adults who drank up to three cups of coffee per day. It was also evident that people who consumed more coffee had a lower long-term risk of heart failure.
The bottom line
It is evident that people who drink coffee on a regular basis have a lower long-term risk of heart failure. In particular, drinking one to two cups of coffee a day can help to curb risk of heart failure. Your daily cup of coffee can help you feel more energized, burn fat and improve physical performance. In fact, coffee may even boost longevity. The consistent relationship between increasing caffeine consumption and decreasing heart failure risk proves that coffee is indeed beneficial for human health.
