The analysis included data from 468,629 adult participants in the project.
Coffee has long been considered one of the most popular beverages in the world. For millions of people, a cup of aromatic drink in the morning has become an integral part of daily life. It is valued not only for its rich flavor but also for its ability to enhance alertness and concentration. However, for many years, there has been ongoing debate among specialists about how regular coffee consumption affects health, particularly the condition of the cardiovascular system.
Earlier studies suggested that coffee might increase blood pressure or provoke heart disorders. However, other scientific works, on the contrary, pointed to the possible protective properties of the beverage. New data obtained by an international group of researchers add arguments in favor of the idea that moderate coffee consumption may have a beneficial effect on heart and vascular health. The scientific work was conducted by specialists from Semmelweis University in Hungary.
In the course of the study, the researchers used data from the large medical project UK Biobank — one of the largest biomedical information databases in the world. This database contains information about the health, lifestyle, and genetic characteristics of hundreds of thousands of volunteers from the UK. Such data allow researchers to study the impact of everyday habits, including diet, physical activity, and sleep patterns, on long-term health outcomes. The analysis included data from 468,629 adult participants in the project. At the beginning of the observation, none of them had diagnosed cardiovascular diseases. The average age of the volunteers was about 56 years, and just over half of the participants were women. The researchers monitored the health of these individuals for approximately ten to fifteen years, recording their coffee consumption habits and tracking the development of potential heart and vascular diseases. During the analysis, the researchers compared the frequency of coffee consumption with the subsequent occurrence of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths related to cardiovascular diseases.
It turned out that the most favorable health indicators were observed in people who drank coffee in moderate amounts. Compared to participants who consumed little to no coffee, those with a moderate coffee habit had a roughly 12 percent lower risk of dying from any cause during the observation period. The risk of death specifically related to cardiovascular diseases was 17 percent lower, and the likelihood of stroke decreased by about 21 percent. According to the authors of the study, these results may indicate that regular consumption of small amounts of coffee can support heart and brain health, as well as potentially contribute to increased longevity.
To further investigate the possible mechanisms, the scientists also analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of the heart from a group of approximately 30,000 participants. The MRI allowed for detailed images of the structure and function of the heart muscle. The images showed that individuals who regularly consumed coffee generally had more favorable heart characteristics. Their heart sizes and shapes more often corresponded to physiological norms, and the efficiency of blood pumping was higher compared to those who did not drink coffee. These observations led to the suggestion that coffee may slow down some age-related changes in the heart muscle. One possible explanation the scientists consider is the presence of natural compounds in the beverage, including antioxidants and other biologically active substances that can protect cells from damage and inflammatory processes.
