While coffee can sometimes keep us awake at night, recent research from Queen Mary University of London brings good news for heart health. Analyzing over 8,000 UK adults, scientists found no link between coffee consumption—even up to 25 cups daily—and arterial stiffening. Flexible arteries efficiently deliver oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body; stiffness raises heart strain and risks of heart attack or stroke.
This large-scale study challenges earlier, inconsistent findings suggesting coffee harms arteries, which often relied on smaller sample sizes.
Participants were grouped by intake: under one cup daily, 1-3 cups, or more than three. Those exceeding 25 cups were excluded, but even heavy drinkers up to that threshold showed no increased arterial stiffness compared to light consumers.
Results adjusted for key factors like age, sex, ethnicity, smoking, height, weight, alcohol use, diet, and blood pressure.
Of 8,412 participants with MRI heart scans and infrared pulse wave tests, moderate and heavy coffee drinkers were more likely male, smokers, and alcohol consumers.
A researcher from Queen Mary University of London noted: "Despite coffee's huge worldwide popularity, some reports might discourage it. While we can't prove causation, our findings indicate coffee isn't as bad for arteries as prior studies suggested."
