Drinking Three to Five Cups of Coffee Daily May Lower Stroke and Heart Attack Risk: Study

If you are a java lover, than a new study that analyzed the effects of caffeine will make you very happy. Drinking three to five cups of coffee a day could lower the risk of a stroke or heart attack.

An international team of researchers led by the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, in the Republic of Korea, studied a group of more than 25,000 Korean male and female coffee drinkers. Their average age was 41 years, who had no signs of heart disease and underwent routine health checks.

Their coffee consumption was categorised as none, less than one cup a day, one to three cups a day, three to five cups per day and five or more per day.

The international team examined the association between drinking coffee and the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC), an early indicator of coronary atherosclerosis - a potentially serious condition where arteries become clogged up by fatty substances known as plaques or atheroma. This can cause the arteries to harden and narrow, leading to blood clots which can trigger a heart attack or a stroke.

Researchers found that people who drink between three and five cups of coffee a day are likely to have less coronary artery calcium, or CAC, than those who drink no coffee at all.

They also found a correlation between people who drink between one and three cups of coffee a day and a reduced prevalence of CAC, according to a paper published Monday in the journal Heart.

They said: "Our study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that coffee consumption might be inversely associated with CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk. Further research is warranted to confirm our findings and establish the biological basis of coffee's potential preventive effects on coronary artery disease."

The study does not address why coffee seems to be good for the cardiovascular system, however, and the authors write that more research is needed to understand this relationship.