Good News, Coffee Lovers: Your Favorite Beverage Isn't Bad for Your Heart

Millions of Americans start their day with coffee, proof that the bitter, black brew is one of our favorite beverages. (This author and mama of two lives for her morning cup of Joe.) And if — like me — you can’t get enough of the caffeinated beverage, you’re in luck: according to a new study, coffee isn’t bad for your heart — even if you drink 25 cups a day!

The study, conducted by the British Heart Foundation, followed more than 8,000 individuals. Participants were separated into three groups: Those who drank less than one cup of coffee per day, those who drank between one and three cups of coffee per day, and those who drank more than three cups per day, though people who drank 25 cups (or more) were excluded. And while I have questions about the latter group — I mean, do your hands tremble? Do your legs shake? How the hell do you accomplish such a Herculean feat?! — there was good news for the other groups. Researchers found the beverage did not cause stiff or hardened arteries, as previously thought. Caffeine addicts had good reason to worry about arterial stiffness, since it can cause heart attacks and/or strokes.

“Despite the huge popularity of coffee worldwide, different reports could put people off from enjoying it. Whilst we can’t prove a causal link in this study, our research indicates coffee isn’t as bad for the arteries as previous studies would suggest,” Dr. Kenneth Fung, who led the data analysis for the research at Queen Mary University of London, said in a press release.

But the good news doesn’t end there: A 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that coffee may actually have cardiovascular benefits. “The main message for people to take away from this is that coffee can be enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle,” Fund told CNN, “and coffee lovers can be reassured by this result in terms of blood vessel stiffness outcomes.”

So cheers, fellow brew buddies. Here’s to starting your day the right way.

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