Coffee benefits the heart in more ways than expected. Moderate coffee consumption is associated with decreased rates for death from coronary heart disease (CHD). Coronary heart disease, most often, is caused by a condition called atherosclerosis. This condition occurs when there is plaque build-up on the walls of the arteries. The effect is a narrowing of the arteries with less blood circulating to the heart. This causes chest pain, shortness of breath, heart attacks, or other symptoms.
A publication of the American Heart Association entitled “New Research From Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology,” in 2010, published a study about some of the benefits of coffee and tea on the heart. Scientific studies conducted on coffee, tea and other consumables take place regularly all over the world. They confirm similar results or uncover new findings that prompt additional research from private organizations, research labs, universities, governmental agencies, the coffee trade and other parties.
In the case of coffee, the research is abundant and very strong. Happily for coffee lovers, the research keeps proving that there are indeed benefits in the beans for human health when you drink a cup of coffee
Specifically, the CHD study referenced followed more than 37,000 tea and coffee drinkers over a 13 year period which is a long research period. Participants, as is standard in such research studies, maintained food journals and documented their daily intake of coffee and tea. The study also analyzed differences between light and heavy consumption. Such differences took into account health histories, weight, height, waist measurements, and deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke that took place among the participants during the study.
What did the study conclude? Basically, drinkers who consume more than 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day showed the greatest risk reduction for death from heart diseases (21%) as compared to participants drinking less than one cup of coffee per day. The conclusion is obvious: drinking more than 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day benefits the heart. Such conclusion is based on scientific observations among a large population sample over a long period of time.
The American Heart Association and other medical groups recommend reducing the risk of heart disease through diet and physical activity. This is obviously very good to do.
How to do this? By exercising for thirty minutes several days during the week and eating a healthy diet low in saturated fat. Limiting foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol is a good thing to do. Such foods include, for example, whole milk dairy products, fatty meats, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to mention just a few. In their place, it is a good idea to eat, for example, fresh fruits and vegetables, grain products, whole grains, fish, fat-free and low-fat-milk products, skinless poultry, lean meats, and olive oils.
Without a doubt, what you eat contributes to your overall health. However, what you drink is also very important to your health.
Super rich antioxidant foods and beverages such as coffee help to fight and neutralize the free radicals present in the body. To enjoy good heart health, it is worth doing everything possible known to have a beneficial effect on the heart. That includes drinking coffee daily: I say, let’s drink a cup to that!
Obviously, coffee by itself is not the answer to ensure the health of the heart. It is worth repeating: a balanced, healthy life includes physical activity, good nutrition, proper dietary intake, regular consumption of coffee in moderation and adherence to any recommendations from your medical practitioner.