Study Says Moderate Coffee Drinkers May Have Better Cardiovascular Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reports that each year approximately 735,000 Americans suffer heart attacks and one in four deaths in the U.S. are the result of heart disease. Perhaps that’s why it seems like everyone is trying to ensure better heart health these days. But outside of proper diet and exercise, what else can we do to build stronger hearts and maintain clear arteries? A new study from South Korea offers some surprising results. 

According to Heart, an international peer-reviewed journal for health professionals and researchers in all areas of cardiology, a large sample of more than 25,000 men and women were studied to investigate the association between regular coffee consumption and the prevalence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) in those individuals. None of the participants were known to have cardiovascular disease at the time of testing. Instead, scientists used Tobit regression analysis to estimate calcium growth and plaque buildup in the arteries.

Today reports that those who drink three to five cups of filtered coffee each day were the least likely to have heart disease. Also, coffee may improve blood vessel health too, an effect referred to medically as endothelial function. That being said, the results are far from conclusive and may not be applicable everywhere. After all, coffee has been linked to higher blood pressure in some patients

“More research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the reason for the association,” Victoria Taylor of the British Heart Foundation told the BBC. Factors like distinct lifestyle and dietary customs may also have contributed to the subjects health. Still, here’s to hoping that this study is on to something. I for one would much rather drink a few more cups of coffee each day if it meant I could live longer and leave medicine and surgery behind for good.

[TIME]