By John Salak –
Coffee drinkers rejoice–coffee may offset heart disease. Chugging down a moderate amount of coffee (and caffeine) on a regular basis may provide protection against developing multiple cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.
Chinese researchers report that regular, moderate consumption seems linked to a lower risk of new-onset cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM), which refers to the coexistence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases. Their findings could be significant because multiple cardiometabolic diseases are a growing worldwide concern.
The study fits in nicely with U.S. coffee consumption trends, which are at a 20-year high, according to the National Coffee Association. Americans on average drink more than 1,000 cups of coffee annually or about three cups daily.
“Consuming three cups of coffee, or 200-300 mg caffeine, per day might help to reduce the risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity in individuals without any cardiometabolic disease,” the study’s lead author Chaofu Ke, M.D., Ph.D., of Soochow University reported.
The study found that coffee intake could have a significant impact in relative terms. Compared with non-consumers or consumers of less than 100mg caffeine per day, those drinking a moderate amount of coffee, about three cups per day, had a 48 percent reduced risk for new-onset CM.
Ke and his colleagues based their findings on data from the UK Biobank, a large and detailed longitudinal dietary study with over 500,000 participants aged 37-73 years. The study excluded individuals who had ambiguous information on caffeine intake. The resulting pool of participants, more than 170,000, at baseline for the analyses of caffeine were free of cardiometabolic diseases. A corresponding 180,000 individuals were also disease-free for the analyses of coffee and tea consumption.
The participants’ cardiometabolic disease outcomes were identified from self-reported medical conditions, primary care data, linked inpatient hospital data and death registry records linked to the UK Biobank.
Coffee and caffeine intake at all levels were inversely associated with the risk of new-onset CM in participants without cardiometabolic diseases. Those who reported moderate coffee or caffeine intake had the lowest risk, the study found.
“The findings highlight that promoting moderate amounts of coffee or caffeine intake as a dietary habit to healthy people might have far-reaching benefits for the prevention of CM,” Ke noted.
The report out of China, while encouraging for those who like coffee or support caffeine intake, is part of a growing blend of stories and studies that report both positive and negative consequences of coffee consumption. The American Heart Association, for example, has warned that drinking two or more cups of coffee daily may double a person’s risk of death from cardiovascular disease if they suffer from severe blood pressure. To confuse matters further, a previous study presented in March 2022 at the American College of Cardiology’s annual session reported that drinking one cup of coffee a day may actually help heart attack survivors by lowering their risk of death after a heart attack.
Consumption in moderation is often, but not always, the key.
