A new study indicates that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of heart attack and early death.
The study, published in the
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
, collected data from 450,000 volunteers aged 40 to 69, who were examined for more than 12 years.
The data showed that those who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had a reduced risk of premature death, compared to those who drank no coffee.
Specifically, consumption of
ground coffee
reduced the risk of death by 27%, followed by 14% for
decaf
and 11% for
caffeinated instant
.
“Mild to moderate intake of ground, instant, and decaf coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle,” according to a new study. juanma hache / Getty Images
Two to three daily cups of ground coffee reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%, followed by 9% for instant coffee and 6% for decaf, according to the study.
"The results suggest that light to moderate intake of ground, instant and decaf coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle," said lead study author Peter Kistler, lead researcher of clinical electrophysiology at Baker Heart and Diabetes. Institute and head of electrophysiology at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
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Both ground and soluble coffee also reduced the risk of arrhythmia, but not decaf.
However, the study does not establish causality: it does not determine whether coffee intake is directly responsible for a lower probability of death or heart disease or is an effect, for example, of having a balanced routine every morning, certain purchasing power or other causes.
Other studies have found a correlation between coffee intake and a healthier life.
"This article adds to the body of observational evidence
associating moderate coffee consumption with cardiac well-being
, which is promising," Professor Charlotte Mills, who teaches science, said in a statement. nutrition at the University of Reading in the UK.
"Does coffee make you healthier or do healthy people drink coffee?" the teacher wondered.
"Double-blind studies are needed to establish the relationship between coffee consumption and heart health," she cautioned.
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Experts also point out that caffeine is not the only active ingredient in coffee, which has at least 100 biochemicals that affect us, according to Kistler.
"It is likely that some non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the observed positive relationships between coffee consumption, cardiovascular disease and life expectancy," said the study's author.
"Our findings indicate that the consumption of modest amounts of coffee of any kind should not be discouraged, but can be enjoyed as a heart-healthy behavior," he concluded.