A new study reveals that drinking two to three cups of coffee daily can protect an individual from early death and other cardiovascular ailments.
Peter Kistler, the author of the study, said, “The results suggest that mild to moderate intake of ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle.”
Kistler is the head of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute clinical electrophysiology research. Simultaneously, he serves as the head of electrophysiology at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital. T
ogether with several other scientists, they found three types of coffee that significantly reduce the chances of several illnesses, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.
Ground and instant coffee with caffeine reduce the risk of arrhythmia. However, the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology discovered that decaffeinated coffee does not lessen the chances of irregular heartbeat among individuals.
Heart diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease are among the illnesses that are alleviated by drinking 3 to 5 cups of black coffee.
“This manuscript adds to the body of evidence from observational trials associating moderate coffee consumption with cardioprotection, which looks promising,” said nutritional sciences lecturer Charlotte Mills.
But Mills contends that the findings made by the researchers are observational in nature and, therefore, cannot rule out a cause-and-effect relationship between the illnesses and drinking coffee.
“Does coffee make you healthy, or do inherently healthier people consume coffee? Randomized controlled trials are needed to prove the relationship between coffee and cardiovascular health,” she added.
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Ground, caffeinated coffee does wonders
The study utilized the data from UK Biobank. The research database surveyed over 450,000 adults who found themselves free from arrhythmia and other cardiovascular diseases.
The researchers categorized them into four factions: individuals who preferred caffeinated ground coffee, those who chose to drink decaffeinated coffee, individuals who liked caffeinated instant coffee, and individuals who did not drink coffee.
In the course of 12 and a half years, the researchers compared the data of the individuals, taking into account the data showing cardiovascular diseases, arrhythmia, stroke, and death. Other factors were also given consideration.
These include obesity, high blood pressure, age, diabetes, ethnicity, sex, smoking status, alcohol, and tea consumption.
When analyzed, the researchers have discovered that all types of coffee were somewhat linked to reducing ailments among individuals.
Duane Mellow, a dietitian and teaching from Aston University Medical School, recognizes the positive effects of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee in the risk reduction of cardiovascular diseases.
However, Mellow contends that there might be other ingredients in the coffee that might trigger the effects.
“Caffeine is the most well-known constituent in coffee, but the beverage contains more than 100 biologically active components. It is likely that the non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the positive relationships observed between coffee drinking, cardiovascular disease and survival,” said Kistler.
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More study is needed
While the study is good news for coffee lovers, experts are partially unsure of the research conclusion. According to Annette Creedon from the British Nutrition Foundation, the study had a loophole and that is when the surveyed individuals self-reported their coffee consumption.
“This study had a median follow-up period of 12.5 years during which many aspects of the participants’ diet and lifestyle may have changed,” she said.
While presenting itself as a therapeutic beverage, Creedon said that some individuals react negatively to coffee, such as people who have trouble sleeping and those with uncontrolled diabetes.
Therefore, she believes that individuals should check with their doctors first before making coffee a daily beverage.
“(These negative side effects” can be particularly relevant to individuals who are sensitive to the effects of caffeine. Hence, the findings of this study do not indicate that people should start drinking coffee if they do not already drink it or that they should increase their consumption,” Creedon added.
In addition, how coffee is brewed has a significant effect on the results. Mellor adds that people should consider the amount of sugar added and creams, milk, and other additives in the coffee they plan to drink.
“A simple cup of coffee perhaps with a little milk is very different to a large latte flavored with a syrup and added cream,” said Mellor.
Photo Credit: The Manual
Source: CNN
