New study reveals Coffee is good for our heart

Coffee consumption at moderate rate has been associated with a reduced risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.

A new study has found that drinking coffee apparently does not raise the risk of atrial fibrillation, which is one form of an irregular heartbeat.

Data suggests that some individuals with AF at the start of the study may have quit drinking coffee or lowered their consumption because of an arrhythmic-triggering effect, meaning those with heart conditions should seek advice from their doctor on how much coffee they should drink. So, what are the facts? These participants reported how many cups of coffee they consumed in 1997 and then agreed to be tracked over the course of 12 years.

At the end of the study, which followed participants across a 12 year span, researchers found no correlation between coffee and an increased risk of this kind of irregular heartbeat. All studies were conducted in either Sweden or the United States, thus reducing the generalisability of the results. So you might want to keep a tab on the cups of coffee you have in a day. They also added that since there are limited studies done on the subject, more prospective studies that will look into the relationship of coffee consumption and AF are needed.

For the study, Larsson and her colleagues used data from two long-running studies, the Cohort of Swedish Men and the Swedish Mammography Cohort, which involve about 42,000 men and almost 35,000 women.

Performing a sex-specific analysis, the researchers discovered coffee consumption linked to a non-significant increased risk of atrial fibrillation in men and a non-significant decreased risk in women. The grand total number of atrial fibrillation cases swelled to 10,406 people (out of 248,910). All told, they say drinking java will not cause atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation can significantly increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and death, the researchers said. Earlier it has been speculated that high coffee consumption may rise the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. In conclusion, additional research needs to be conducted in order to answer such questions.

Larsson, who is an associate professor of epidemiology at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet said their findings, which apply to both men and women, are important as it shows that those who like coffee can still consume it moderately without the risk of developing AF.