Atrial fibrillation (A-fib) is a common heart rhythm disorder that can predispose a person to cardiovascular issues like stroke or heart failure. Out of an abundance of caution, doctors oftentimes recommend that patients with A-fib avoid caffeine because it could possibly trigger symptoms. A recent study decided to take a closer look at that sentiment to see if caffeine really did contribute to A-fib risk, and the results were quite surprising.
Coffee And Heart Health
The study, aptly named Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation (DECAF), was the first randomized clinical trial to investigate the link between caffeinated coffee and A-Fib. The study enrolled 200 coffee-drinking patients with persistent atrial fibrillation or a related condition called an atrial flutter, and participants were scheduled for electrical cardioversion, which provides a single electrical shock to shift the heart into a normal rhythm. Participants were randomly assigned to either consume at least one cup of caffeinated coffee or an espresso shot each day, or to abstain from coffee and other products that contain caffeine for six months.
After looking at the data, researchers were surprised to learn that not only didn’t those in the coffee group show elevated risk of heart issues, they found that caffeine may actually help to support optimal heart health. They found that those in the coffee group had a 39% reduced risk of A-fib symptoms compared to their counterparts who worked to avoid coffee and caffeinated products.
“The results were astounding,” said first author Christopher X. Wong, PhD, of UCSF and the University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital. “Doctors have always recommended that patients with problematic A-Fib minimize their coffee intake, but this trial suggests that coffee is not only safe but likely to be protective.”
Researchers said they believed the decreased risk of A-fib symptoms was tied to some of the ways coffee can influence your life.
“Coffee increases physical activity which is known to reduce atrial fibrillation,” said Gregory M. Marcus, MD, MAS, who holds the Endowed Professorship in Atrial Fibrillation Research and is an electrophysiologist at UCSF Health. Marcus is the senior author of the paper. “Caffeine is also a diuretic, which could potentially reduce blood pressure and in turn lessen A-Fib risk. Several other ingredients in coffee also have anti-inflammatory properties that could have positive effects.”
While you’ll want to lean on your doctor’s personalized advice based on your unique heart circumstances, this study does suggest that a cup of coffee could actually reduce your risk of A-fib symptoms.
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