More Good News for Coffee Lovers: Coffee and Cardiovascular Benefits
The health benefits of coffee have been widely and frequently reviewed across numerous studies, with research indicating that drinking coffee can help to increase energy and alertness, boost metabolic rate and burn fat, and even lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Recently, in a study from the European Society of Cardiology, it has now been suggested that drinking coffee can also encourage a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study, which importantly focused on freshly roasted coffee rather than instant, granulated coffee, incorporated the coffee drinking habits of nearly 500,000 participants, comparing data from individuals who did not consume coffee on a regular basis, with those who drank 0.5 to 3 cups per day and those who drank more than 3 cups per day.
The results are very encouraging for coffee lovers, with light-to-moderate coffee consumption being associated with a decrease in instances of cardiovascular disease, as well as stroke. When compared to zero coffee intake, light, moderate and high coffee consumption was also associated with favourable cardiac and arterial health.
What’s more, the study indicated that, not only is regular coffee consumption still considered very safe, but that ‘even high daily coffee intake was not associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes’.
The study went on to look at additional encouraging attributes aligned to coffee and caffeine, noting that ‘regular coffee intake was also associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus’ and ‘lower body weight’. It also makes reference to the view, held by some, that coffee intake can be seen to cause an increase in blood pressure, but in contrast to this view it notes that ‘further studies came to the conclusion that long-term coffee consumption has no clinical importance on the risk of hypertension’. This view is in line with the European Society of Cardiology’s own study, which suggests that the prevalence of hypertension was not higher in those drinking more than 3 cups of coffee per day, when compared to those drinking zero coffees per day.
Additionally, for the 139,727 participants who underwent measurements of arterial stiffness, light-to-moderate coffee consumption was linked with lower ASI (arterial stiffness index), which is an indicator of arterial health.
This looks to be great news for coffee-lovers everywhere!
Why not take a look at our full range of delicious, freshly roasted coffees, or find your perfect bean with our Coffee Finder tool.