Good news for coffee lovers: drinking up to three cups of coffee a day can help protect the heart and reduce the risk of stroke. This is according to a new study by Semmelweis University.

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, but its effects on heart health have been debated for years. To get a clearer picture, researchers wanted to see how regular coffee consumption affects the risk of heart attack, stroke, or premature death.

The study used data from the UK Biobank, a large research project that includes health information from hundreds of thousands of people.

For the purposes of the study, the researchers focused on 468,629 adults who had no signs of heart disease at the start of the study. Their average age was just over 56, and just over half were women. These people were followed for 10 to 15 years.

Participants were divided into three groups based on the amount of coffee they typically consumed. About 22% did not drink coffee often, 58% drank between half a cup and three cups a day (light to moderate consumption), and 19% drank more than three cups a day.

The results were surprising. People who drank coffee in light to moderate amounts had a 12% lower risk of death from any cause, a 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 21% lower risk of stroke compared to those who rarely drank coffee.

These results suggest that moderate coffee consumption may actually help protect the heart and blood vessels.

To understand why this might be the case, the researchers also studied heart scans of over 30,000 people using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They found that regular coffee drinkers had a healthier heart size and function. This suggests that coffee may help slow down the aging of the heart.

Although the exact reasons for these benefits are not fully known, it is possible that certain compounds in coffee help improve heart function.

Lead researcher Dr. Judith Simon said that while the results are exciting, more studies are needed to fully understand how coffee helps the heart.

So, if you love drinking coffee, you may have one more reason to include it in your daily routine—as long as it is in moderation. Up to three cups a day can have real health benefits, especially for the heart. | BGNES