There has been much debate over how coffee consumption affects cardiovascular health, but a new study suggests a few cups a day could keep heart attacks at bay.
The meta-analysis of 36 studies showed moderate coffee consumption could decrease the risk of heart disease, the British Medical Journal reported. A team of researchers looked at the link between coffee consumption and the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC), which indicates coronary atherosclerosis. This condition occurs when the arteries become clogged up by fatty plaques, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
The study included a group of 25,138 men and women with an average age of 41 who did not have any signs of heart disease. The examinations included validated food frequency questionnaire and a multidetector cardiac CT (computed tomography) to determine coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores. The researchers categorized coffee consumption as "none, less than one cup a day, one to three cups a day, three to five per day and at least five or more per day."
The study determined calcium ratios were at 0.77 for participants who had less than one cup of coffee per day, 0.66 for those who had one to three cups, and 0.81 for heavy coffee drinkers who had five or more cups per day when compared with non-coffee drinkers. These correlations remained even after other factors such as "age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and status of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolaemia" were taken into account.
The findings suggest participants who drank between three and five cups of coffee per day had the lowest risk of clogged arteries. This may be because regular coffee consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, which is a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis.
"Our study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that coffee consumption might be inversely associated with CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk," the researchers said. "Further research is warranted to confirm our findings and establish the biological basis of coffee's potential preventive effects on coronary artery disease."
