Coffee for the heart: scientifically proven benefits of 2-3 cups a day
Coffee is bad for the heart. This rule has been repeated to us throughout our lives. But is it so? Modern scientists prove the absence of harm and even the benefits of several cups daily. And it’s good for the heart.
After coffee, the heartbeat quickens. This is what many people worry about. Suddenly, as a result, there will be problems with the heart. Or wake up old sores? However, physicians hold the opposite position. Coffee can and should be included in the diet of both heart and healthy patients. The drink does not affect the occurrence or exacerbation of heart disease and can even protect the heart. A couple of cups a day increases life expectancy.
Scientific data
Western researchers conducted a long experiment. For ten years, they observed the health of more than five hundred thousand people. The patients had various heart conditions. Doctors divided them into groups according to the amount of coffee they drank. On average, one to six cups per day. People filled out questionnaires and entered the register. The results were very encouraging for coffee lovers. Doctors found that some had a complete lack of effect, while others showed a significant reduction in the risk of problems with the heart and blood vessels. However, in the second case, success was also achieved as a result of control over the following:
- diabetes
- alcoholic drinks;
- blood pressure level;
- smoking;
- sports loads.
Those who drank two to three cups of coffee daily benefited the most. As a result, the risk of heart disease is reduced by 10-15%. The positive effect decreases with increasing or decreasing dosage.
Health benefits of coffee
How can coffee beans improve the heart? They contain about a hundred biologically active compounds. These substances help reduce stress and inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, increase metabolism, and suppress fat absorption in the intestines.
Coffee is also a brain booster. It awakens us and makes the mind sharper. The drink is also considered a natural cure for depression. It improves mood and stimulates the nervous system.
Which coffee is more beneficial?
So, the researchers found an improvement in health from drinking coffee. The heart benefit is associated with a lower risk of arrhythmias, blockage of the heart arteries, heart failure, or stroke. But what kind of drink will have the best effect? Soluble or ground? With or without caffeine?
The habit of drinking coffee results in lower mortality rates. However, a caffeinated drink is preferable in every way. The decaffeinated variant had no beneficial effect on the resulting arrhythmia but reduced the number of heart and vascular diseases, except heart failure.
The benefits and harms of coffee for the body
However, the magic of two or three cups of coffee a day has its downsides. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine or have sensitive stomachs. They may experience problems.
Another possible downside is the extra calories. Few people drink pure coffee. Usually, sugar, milk, cream, and dessert are added. All this can accumulate and cause harm to health.
Some people also outright overdo it with coffee. This reduces the benefits and even causes problems. Drinking more than six cups of coffee a day entails a 53% increase in the likelihood of getting dementia and impaired brain function.
The benefits of coffee in every cup
So, the ideal is 2-3 cups daily. However, up to six cups can be considered healthy. What specific benefits can you get from each serving?
- One cup
- Health effects: Increases alertness and helps with bowel movements.
A serving of a strong caffeinated drink of about 100 mg increases alertness. Also, for some time, the action of adenosine is blocked. This chemical signals the body to sleep. In one experiment, the researchers stimulated motorway driving for four hours. One cup of coffee in the middle of this session helped drivers feel less tired and keep their speeds high. As a result, travel time has been reduced.
Another advantage is the stimulation of the intestines. One cup at breakfast makes you want to go to the toilet. The lower intestines experience contractions from both regular coffee and decaffeinated coffee. At the same time, a caffeinated drink stimulates movements in the colon more than water.
- Two cups
- Health Effects: Increases exercise endurance and provide heart protection.
A double serving of coffee daily can increase the effectiveness of training. 3 to 6 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight is needed to improve speed and endurance. This is about two cups of coffee weighing 60-70 kg. The nervous system is stimulated. As a result, fatigue is reduced.
The risk of experiencing heart failure is also reduced by 30% by drinking two cups of caffeinated drinks per day. This results from caffeine’s effect on the body’s water balance and insulin sensitivity.
- Three cups
- Health effects: Reduces the chance of Parkinson’s disease and stroke.
The habit of drinking about three cups of coffee every day reduces the risk of getting:
- Parkinson’s disease – by 28%;
- stroke – by 21%;
- heart and vascular disease – by 17%;
- die prematurely for another reason – by 12%.
Caffeine prevents Parkinson’s disease. It maintains dopamine levels. The control of movement depends on this chemical. It is depleted in this disease. The protective effect of coffee against Parkinson’s disease peaks at about three cups per day.
But don’t overdo it! In people highly sensitive to caffeine, even one cup of coffee can affect the length and quality of sleep. It takes about five hours to reduce caffeine levels in the blood by 50%. Therefore, if you need help with sleep, drinking coffee in the afternoon is not recommended.
Caffeine can also make you feel more anxious or nervous. It causes diarrhea in people with irritable bowel syndrome.
- Four cups
- Health Impact: Provides essential nutrients and protects against fatty liver disease.
Three to four cups of coffee daily reduces the chance of getting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In these patients, fat accumulates in the liver and can cause serious harm. Reduced by 21% and the risk of developing liver cancer. For these purposes, any coffee is useful, but especially ground coffee. One of the reasons is the anti-inflammatory effect of coffee.
Medium-strength black coffee in a volume of 3-4 cups gives:
- 100 mg magnesium (about 25% of the recommended daily allowance);
- 1150 mg potassium (more than 50% of the recommended daily allowance);
- 9 mg niacin (more than 50% of the recommended daily allowance).
Instant coffee provides these nutrients in slightly smaller amounts because some are removed during processing.
- Five cups
- Health effects: May prevent type 2 diabetes.
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to constant coffee consumption is reduced by 29%. Coffee beans prevent the destruction of cells that produce insulin. The decaffeinated version, however, has the same protective effect.
- Six cups
- Health effects: Reduces the likelihood of gout.
The most frequent and active consumption of coffee entails the lowest chances of developing gout. The risk for men is reduced by 59% when drinking 6 cups daily. And if 4-5 cups – then by 40%. A caffeinated drink will have the best effect. But a caffeine-free option will also benefit.
Women have similar results. The likelihood of developing gout is reduced by 57% due to drinking 4 cups of coffee daily.
Benefit and harm
Coffee is an ambiguous drink. We must remember its other consequences. In particular, about the impact on the nervous system or even the color of the teeth. Researchers inspire coffee lovers and reassure them about the main concern – the heart. However, scientists do not advise starting to drink horse doses of coffee immediately. Don’t become a coffee addict just because of this study. But if you are used to meeting the morning with a fragrant cup, it makes no sense to deny yourself the pleasure. After all, you can get a lot of bonuses for health.
