The latest study of coffee consumption did not find any evidence that coffee consumption, at any volume, increases the risk of coronary heart disease. In fact, the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study had the lowest risk. This certainly challenges studies that many senior citizens have read about for years, saying the stimulant in caffeine is bad for your heart. It still has not stopped many seniors from drinking coffee - research in 2004 said seniors would not give up coffee for sex.

The new study, published online at the Journal of Circulation, was massive in scope – it looked at 44 005 men and 84 488 women without history of cardiovascular disease or cancer. The study of women was over 20 years and for men over 14 years.

In the study, men and women were categorized by the amount of coffee they consumed. Amazingly, the study found the heaviest coffee drinkers, who drank six or more cups of coffee on a daily basis for up to two decades, actually had a slightly lower risk of developing coronary artery disease than those who drank a cup or less each day.

The authors documented 2173 incident cases of coronary heart disease (1449 nonfatal myocardial infarctions and 724 fatal cases of CHD) among men and 2254 cases (1561 nonfatal myocardial infarctions and 693 fatal cases of CHD) among women.

Among men, after adjustment for age, smoking, and other CHD risk factors, the relative risks of CHD across categories of cumulative coffee consumption were:

Among women, the relative risks were:

Stratification by smoking status, alcohol consumption, history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and body mass index gave similar results.

The researchers were led by Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia of the School of Medicine at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain.

For all levels of coffee consumption reported, the results of the team’s analysis, after adjusting for age, smoking, and other coronary heart disease risk factors, showed no significant difference in the relative risks of developing coronary heart disease.

Habits associated with people who are heavy coffee drinkers include smoking, alcohol consumption, and the use of aspirin were also examined. The smoking connection was found to be strong and some say may explain why another study found a link between coffee drinking and the risk of developing coronary heart disease.

People who consumed large amounts of coffee were found to drink less tea, were less likely to use multivitamins or vitamin E, and shunned exercise.

The researchers pointed out that individual “genotypes” might not follow the general pattern suggested by the study and could actually exhibit an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.

The findings were limited to standard percolator or drip coffee and not to unfiltered methods of brewing that produce much stronger coffee. That type of “French press” coffee has been consistently linked to an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol.

As in the conclusion of almost all research, the authors say further study is needed.

Links to Other Recent Studies of Coffee Consumption:

    Coffee consumption linked to increased risk of heart attack for persons with certain gene variation

March 7, 2006 - Individuals who have a genetic variation associated with slower caffeine metabolism appear to have an increased risk of non-fatal heart attack associated with higher amounts of coffee intake, according to a study in the March 8 issue of JAMA.

Studies examining the association between coffee consumption and risk of myocardial infarction (MI – heart attack) have been inconclusive. Coffee is a major source of caffeine, which is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world and has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, according to background information in the article. However, coffee contains a number of other chemicals that have variable effects on the cardiovascular system. It is not clear whether caffeine alone affects the risk of heart attack or whether other chemicals found in coffee may be responsible.

  Coffee and tea can reduce the risk of chronic liver disease

Bethesda, Maryland (Dec. 1, 2005) – A study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology found that people at high risk for liver injury may be able to reduce their risk for developing chronic liver disease significantly by drinking more than two cups of coffee or tea daily. This preventative effect was only seen in people at higher risk for liver disease due to heavy alcohol intake, being overweight or having diabetes or iron overload. This is the first study to take a prospective look at the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and chronic liver disease in the general U.S. population.

  Coffee jump-starts short-term memory

CHICAGO (Nov. 30, 2005) - For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that caffeine modulates short-term working memory. The study was presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"We were able to show that caffeine modulates a higher brain function through its effects on distinct areas of the brain," said the paper's lead author, Florian Koppelstätter, M.D., Ph.D., radiology fellow at Medical University Innsbruck in Austria.

  Drinking decaffeinated coffee may be harmful to heart health

Nov. 16, 2005 - Decaffeinated -- not caffeinated -- coffee may cause an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol by increasing a specific type of blood fat linked to the metabolic syndrome, hints a new study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005.

The Coffee and Lipoprotein Metabolism (CALM) study included 187 people, randomized to three groups: one that drank three to six cups of caffeinated coffee a day; another that drank three to six cups of decaffeinated coffee a day; and a third, the control group, that drank no coffee.

Some studies have linked coffee drinking to heart disease, but others have suggested that it is not harmful.

April 25, 2006.