Study Links 3 to 5 Daily Cups of Coffee to Cleaner Arteries

Korean researchers say they have found a positive link between drinking coffee and cleaner coronary arteries. Their findings have reopened a longstanding debate about the benefits of coffee consumption on heart health. 

The new study used medical scans to assess the heart health of more than 25,000 male and female Korean employees. Specifically, researchers were looking for signs of disease or calcium deposits in the walls of the coronary arteries. While also taking into account other heart risk factors like family history of heart disease, smoking, and exercise habits, the researchers compared the results of employees who identified themselves as daily coffee drinkers with the scans of non-drinkers. 

Employees that drank three to five cups of coffee a day were more likely to have coronary arteries that were free from calcium deposits than employees who drank more cups or no coffee at all. Despite the promising data, health authorities are cautious citing other studies on coffee consumption that have found links to heart risks like increased cholesterol or blood pressure.  Another factor of concern for health authorities in other countries is the substantially different diet of Korean employees. 

“While this study does highlight a potential link between coffee consumption and lower risk of developing clogged arteries, more research is needed to confirm these findings and understand what the reason is for the association,” says Victoria Taylor of the British Heart Foundation. “We need to take care when generalizing these results because (they are) based on the South Korean population, who have different diet and lifestyle habits to people in the UK." 

For more information, read the entire article.