A new study again raises the link between atrial fibrillation and coffee, but this time claims it is a positive connection. Here are the findings.
Atrial fibrillation is considered the most common persistent heart rhythm disorder. Its prevalence increases as the population ages. Most people who suffer from the condition are age 65 and older, and the statistics say that one out of ten people over age 70 will experience atrial fibrillation.
The condition increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and additional complications, so many patients receive guidelines to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For some of them, this also included avoiding coffee.
However, a new study published in the scientific journal JAMA challenges this assumption and presents a different picture.
The researchers recruited 200 participants with atrial fibrillation who were supposed to undergo medical cardioversion treatment, and all of them consumed caffeine regularly. The subjects were divided into two groups. One group continued to drink coffee, about one cup a day, for half a year, and the second group was asked to avoid caffeine completely.
The results surprised the researchers. Forty seven percent of the coffee drinkers experienced atrial fibrillation episodes that lasted more than thirty seconds during the study period, compared to sixty four percent in the group that avoided caffeine.
This is exciting because we have proof that consumption of one cup of coffee per day is safe and may even be beneficial, said the lead researcher Professor Christopher Wong from a medical school in Adelaide.
However, the researchers emphasize that people who suffer from atrial fibrillation need to consult a doctor before changing their drinking habits, especially if coffee drinking is not part of their daily routine.
Why might coffee help the heart. There are several theories. It is possible that coffee contains components that strengthen heart function, but it is also possible that the connection is indirect. Wong explains that studies have found a link between drinking coffee and an increase in physical activity. For example, a study published in NEJM in 2023 found that people walked on average one thousand steps more on days when they drank coffee.
Dr. Cheng Han Chen, an interventional cardiologist and director of structural heart medicine at Saddleback MemorialCare Medical Center in California, explains that caffeine gives people the small boost they need to get up and go for a walk, and this is exactly what we want them to do.