Higher Coffee Intake May Lower Risk for Heart Failure

TUESDAY, Feb. 9, 2021 -- Higher coffee intake is associated with a reduced risk for heart failure, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in Circulation: Heart Failure.

Laura M. Stevens, from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School in Aurora, and colleagues investigated the diet domain in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) to identify potential lifestyle and behavioral factors associated with coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Identified variables were validated using data from the Cardiovascular Heart Study (CHS) and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

The researchers identified marital status, red meat consumption, whole milk consumption, and coffee consumption as factors associated with cardiovascular disease outcomes. Increasing coffee consumption was associated with a decreasing long-term risk for heart failure congruently in the FHS, ARIC study, and CHS.

"The association between caffeine and heart failure risk reduction was surprising. Coffee and caffeine are often considered by the general population to be 'bad' for the heart because people associate them with palpitations, high blood pressure, etc. The consistent relationship between increasing caffeine consumption and decreasing heart failure risk turns that assumption on its head," a coauthor said in a statement. "However, there is not yet enough clear evidence to recommend increasing coffee consumption to decrease risk of heart disease with the same strength and certainty as stopping smoking, losing weight or exercising."

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Posted: February 2021