Here is some good news for coffee drinkers: according to a new study, coffee isn’t bad for your heart! Those addicted to the caffeinated beverage can actually indulge in as many as 25 cups per day.
While previous studies had suggested that the drink could be linked to cardiovascular issues—such as the stiffening of arteries—the new research shows that lovers of the beverage have no reason whatsoever to trim their consumption.
A study of more than 8,000 people across the U.K. found that those that imbibed an average of five cups a day fared no worse in terms of arterial health than those that drank under a cup per day.
The study was funded in part by the British Heart Foundation and is being presented at the British Cardiovascular Society Conference in Manchester, United Kingdom, as the Daily Mail reports.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London divided 8,412 participants into three separate groups for the study, according to The Mind Unleashed.
The first group was comprised of those that drink under a cup of coffee a day, while the second included those that drink between one and three cups daily. The third group contained those that drink over three cups a day—including a few that drank a shocking 25 cups of java every day.
Participants were then subject to heart scans and infrared pulse wave tests, with researchers taking into consideration the age and weight of participants, and whether they smoke or not. Either way, the results held true.
The experts found that those who drank much higher amounts of coffee had no more of a likelihood of stiffened arteries than people whose consumption of the drink was minimal.
This study contradicts previous research pinning the blame on coffee for heart pressure, the stiffening of arteries, and increased the likelihood of stroke or heart attack.
Professor Metin Avkiran, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said that the study merely “rules out one of the potential detrimental effects of coffee on our arteries.”
A regular coffee habit has been linked to a lower risk of both Type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, with one study even linking it to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, as the American Heart Association (AHA) reports. Habitual coffee drinking has also been linked to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in women.
Nonetheless, the AHA has warned that adding sugar and cream to java—as well as opting for fancier frappuccinos and other blended calorie-and-sugar-packed varieties of coffee—can be pretty bad for heart health.
According to U.S. federal dietary guideline, 3-5 cups of coffee can be part of a well-balanced and healthy diet—yet only when it comes to pure black coffee.
However, as the new study from the U.K. shows, there might be some hope yet for those who guzzle 25 cups a day, even if the heart health community in the USA warns against consuming caffeine in excess.
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