Is Coffee Good for Your Heart: 10 Things to Know

Coffee is one of the most consumed drinks in today’s time, and for some people, their mornings won’t even start without their cup of coffee.

And to all those coffee addicts, ask yourself, is coffee good for your heart? Not sure? Well, we will tell you. But first, let’s dig a little deeper into coffee and its origin.

The origin of coffee is traced back to the ancient period from (Abyssinia) to present-day Ethiopia (African continent).

Gradually, coffee started its pace to other regions and continents of the world and was introduced in India in 1670 by a Sufi saint named Baba Budan. Before delving into is coffee good for your heart, let’s discover everything about its properties first.

#1 Conjugation of Coffee

It is safe to say that the entire globe is aware of this beverage. This is a drink on one hand and a drug on the other. Coffee consists of caffeine i.e. about (2-3%), tannin (3-5%), fixed oil (10-15%), and proteins (13%).

Apart from that, coffee contains carbohydrates, diterpenes, chlorogenic acids, and melanoidins. Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world in general and in India particularly.

#2 Features and Consumerism Rate of the Beverage

Coffee is generally prepared from roasted coffee beans. The coffee is usually, black in texture i.e. it is generally dark, bitter, and slightly acidic. But still coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. So, is coffee good for your heart? Let’s find out!

The statistics for the years 2020-2021 show that approximately 166.63 million bags of coffee are sold and consumed throughout the globe.

Moreover, coffee drinking, as per the studies reports a surge day by day. A report on Global Coffee Consumption in 2020 clears that 30-40% of the world’s population takes coffee.

#3 The Specialty of Coffee and Benefits

But, first, we need to know what is so special about coffee and if it is coffee good for your heart.

It is believed to have captivated the attention of people due to its unique aromatic taste. Additionally, it takes less time to make. Moreover, its effects as a stimulant in enhancing mental performance for example alertness, concentration, and attention are pretty good.

So, the above factors are pretty reliable to know why coffee is preferred more in the world market over other known drinks like tea and others. It seems probable that cups of coffee are taken by an exceptionally large population, in large amounts, and very often.

However, it is imperative to also know the consequences of consuming coffee synchronously.

#4 Reality Check: Pros and Cons of Coffee

Is coffee good for your heart? Now is the moment of truth!

This is the utter truth that everything has its pros and cons and so is the case in consuming coffee all the same.

There are counterarguments based on the collection of information and statistics. It was quite pervasive in the past that researchers ousted the benefits of consuming coffee rather, than claimed coffee as a detrimental commodity.

#5 Evidence Proving the Higher Side of Consuming Coffee

This is a frequently asked question, “is coffee good for your heart, your health, and your well-being?”

The gradual trend is changing and the present in-depth studies are visualizing positive outcomes of intaking this beverage.

Some researchers have pointed out that the consumption of coffee is rather good on account of using it in a limited amount and not regularly.

In support of the same, Frank Hu, the chairperson at the  Harvard T.H School of public health stated on April 5th, 2021 that, coffee has been more healthful than harmful in terms of health outcomes.

#6 The Positive Sides of Coffee

Furthermore, the right amount of coffee intake—i.e., regular coffee intake of three cups of coffee or three to five cups a day—has less vulnerability to type 2 diabetes, and heart failure and improves heart health, endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and depression and this adds to a healthy diet.

Furthermore, people who consume cups of coffee are not much at risk of early death but this is variable based on a person’s health issues. Some noticeable benefits of drinking coffee are:

First, when you drink coffee you will feel more relieved for it helps lose weight or prevent weight gain, possibly by suppressing the appetite and temporarily reducing the desire to eat and stimulating thermogenesis.

As a result, the body generates more heat and energy through the proper functioning of your digestive system. Probably, it acts like an energy drink.

Second, it boosts alertness. Consuming about 75 mg of caffeine increases attention and alertness, and 160 to 600 mg doses may improve mental alertness, reasoning speed, and memory.

Thirdly, the intake improves physical endurance¹ and boosts metabolism.

Fourth, studies have found that if you drink coffee or consume caffeine (an element in coffee) lifelong, you will remain less vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. All these have an impact on your cardiovascular health and you will able to oust cardiovascular disease and other diseases as well.

Skin cancer too, as some scientists say, acts as a guard against certain skin cancers. A team/study has found that the consumption of caffeine ²reduces the development of base cell carcinoma in women.

Even a high level of consumption is found to be good but not for all people.

Researchers found out that people with a higher coffee consumption have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease³. Previous studies have highlighted the fact that intake of coffee results in diseases ranging from heart to circulatory complications like Asthma.

Of course, if something is impacting the heart, it will surely have impacts on other organs of the body as well or simply, on the entire human physiology. It could vary that the impact will be felt by some people in an immediate course or after you attain a certain age.

However, Hu says “Anything people consume amply tends to come under scrutiny”. But there is nothing bad about it as many say if it is consumed in the right amount and at adequate intervals.

Caffeine may have some health benefits, but not this is not completely true or has been confirmed by any research.

However, the consumption of caffeine is not good or healthy for all age groups Coffee drinking in small amounts i.e. decaf coffee is proven to be somewhere beneficial. Thus, it would be a more feasible option and healthier.

#7 The Detrimental Effect of Caffeine Content

Now that you know if is coffee good for your heart let’s find out more. The consumption of simple caffeine or caffeinated coffee usually reported plenty of negative impacts in the long run.

According to the studies, children below the age of 12 shouldn’t intake more than 100 milligrams of coffee a day.

The elderly are recommended to take moderate amounts of coffee which preferably does not cause any health impairments otherwise it could have life-threatening impacts or potential risks on people. Similarly, more coffee intake could also have negative effects.

#8 Moderation: The Best Substitute

You don’t know if is coffee good for your heart but still want to drink it? Dont worry! The question of whether should we stop drinking coffee is trolling a lot.

Some research suggests that regularly taking a lot of coffee or instant coffee contributes to aortic stiffness — this is when the aorta, which is the largest blood vessel in the human body, becomes less and less flexible. Aortic stiffness can trigger dangerous heart rhythms.

There are several factors responsible for the development of arterial stiffness, such as age, sex, ethnicity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, height, weight, eating habits, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, and diabetes.

#9 Varieties of Coffee

There are also variations in coffee types which also act like a parameter in determining the choice of coffee type for there are about 4 major varieties of coffee grown in and around the world.

So, varieties of coffee also determine the consumption rate of people. And each variety has a different impact either positive or negative on people.

There are more than 70 countries that produce coffee, but the majority of global output comes from just the top five producers: Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.

#10 Conclusion

The impact of coffee on our hearts also varies from person to person because a normal heart can take comparably more amount of coffee than a person with cardiovascular issues, high blood pressure, and high level of cholesterol for they have a direct impact on the cardiovascular system only.

However, the way you make or brew the coffee and the quantity you consume counts.

In the end, we couldn’t give a precise answer as to whether coffee is good for our hearts or not because there are several factors above that should be taken into consideration before examining it.

But a cautious decision applies here as well, for we need not defy the fact that excess of everything is bad. Stay happy and healthy!

1. Hendrickson, Nathan R., et al. “Combined resistance and endurance training improves physical capacity and performance on tactical occupational tasks.” European journal of applied physiology 109 (2010): 1197-1208. ↩︎
2. Barone, J. J., and H. R. Roberts. “Caffeine consumption.” Food and Chemical Toxicology 34.1 (1996): 119-129. ↩︎
3. Ascherio, Alberto, and Michael A. Schwarzschild. “The epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease: risk factors and prevention.” The Lancet Neurology 15.12 (2016): 1257-1272. ↩︎

Last Updated on July 29, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology