Can Drinking Coffee Lower Heart Attack Risk?

Consuming caffeine in moderation—3-to-5 cups of coffee a day—may have cardiovascular benefits in the form of reduced risk for clogged arteries and heart attacks, according to new research.

In a study of 25,138 individuals, a team led by investigators from the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul analyzed participants who attended a regular health screening, including food frequency questionnaires and CT scanning to determine coronary artery calcium. Those taking part had an average age of 41, and no signs of heart disease. The authors measured levels of calcium in participants’ coronary arteries, in order to determine the presence of any association with coffee consumption habits.
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Individuals in the study were included in 1 of 5 groups: no coffee consumed, less than 1 cup of coffee per day, 1-to-3 cups of coffee a day, 3-to-5 cups of coffee per day, or 5 or more cups daily. The researchers also accounted for potential confounding factors—including physical activity participation, smoking status, other dietary components, and possible family history of cardiovascular disease—when comparing coffee consumption with coronary artery calcium levels.

The frequency of detectable coronary artery calcium among participants was 13.4%, with the average coffee consumption at 1.8 cups per day. Among the 5 groups, researchers observed a calcium ratio of 0.77 for the group consuming less than 1 cup daily. That ratio was 0.66 for the 1-to-3-cups daily group, 0.59 for the group drinking 3-to-5 cups a day, and 0.81 among those consuming 5 or more cups of coffee on a daily basis.

The association was similar in subgroups defined by variables such as age, alcohol consumption, and diabetes status, which suggests participants consuming between 3 and 5 cups of coffee daily had the lowest occurrence of clogged arteries, according to the authors. The research wrote that the study “adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that coffee consumption might be inversely associated with cardiovascular risk,” noting that further studies are required to determine biological causation.  

Findings aside, “we do not recommend that non-drinkers start drinking coffee for preventing attack,” adds

Yoosoo Chang, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the department of occupational and environmental studies at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, and co-author of the study.

“Coffee drinkers, especially moderate coffee consumers, don’t need to be concerned about the adverse effect of coffee on heart disease. However, they should not rely on coffee for cardiovascular health,” says Chang. “Like prior studies, we found coffee drinkers tend to have unhealthy habits, such as smoking and alcohol drinking. So these known risk factors should be addressed properly in coffee drinkers.”

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Choi Y, Chang Y, et al. Coffee consumption and coronary artery calcium in young and middle-aged asymptomatic adults. Heart. 2015.