Are you a java lover? If you love your morning cup of coffee, you’ll love this news.

Coffee is on a roll with yet another powerful study extolling its health virtues. The results of the largest study to date examining the relationship between drinking coffee and heart disease, as well as the risk of death, will perk you right up!

 
The study included almost a half million adults, both with and without heart disease, whose coffee drinking habits and health were monitored over a ten-year period. The following outcomes were noted:

• Those with and without heart disease who regularly drank coffee were less likely to have a cardiovascular event and less likely to die vs. those abstaining from coffee.

• Those who consumed 2-3 cups of regular coffee per day saw the greatest benefits, including a lower risk of heart arrhythmias.

• Interestingly, even in those with known heart problems, there was not a greater risk of heart rhythm issues regardless of how much coffee was consumed. What’s more, those with heart rhythm issues who drank coffee were less likely to die than those who didn’t drink coffee. 

The lead researcher commented, “Daily coffee intake shouldn’t be discouraged, but rather included as part of a healthy diet for people with and without heart disease.”

The Results: Coffee Is Healthy

These results are not at all surprising to me. Coffee is home to over 100 bioactive compounds, including high doses of those wondrous polyphenols. Polyphenols exhibit broad-spectrum protection at the cellular and even the genetic level, quieting inflammation and activating longevity genes, among other benefits.

The Bottom Line: Enjoy Your Java

If you enjoy your java like I do, shoot for 2-3 cups–meaning, the standard measurement of a cup (6 ounces), not a typical mug-full–of regular, not decaf. There were no benefits noted for decaf in this evaluation.

American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session, April 2022.