Coffee, Thought to Be Bad for the Heart, "Actually Lowers Atrial Fibrillation Risk," U.S. Study Finds

Randomized Clinical Trial with 200 Arrhythmia Patients
"39% Lower Recurrence Risk in Coffee Consumption Group"

A study from the United States has found that coffee consumption can reduce the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (arrhythmia).

Coffee. Pixabay

On November 9 (local time), a research team from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) stating, "Patients who consumed caffeinated coffee had a 39% lower risk of recurrence of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter compared to those who completely abstained from coffee."

This prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted at five hospitals in the United States, Canada, and Australia from November 2021 to December 2024, involving 200 patients with atrial fibrillation who had consumed coffee within the past five years. All participants had undergone electrical cardioversion (heart rhythm correction) treatment.

The researchers randomly assigned participants to either a caffeinated coffee consumption group (100 patients) or a complete coffee and caffeine abstinence group (100 patients), and followed them for six months. The consumption group was instructed to drink at least one cup of caffeinated coffee per day, while the abstinence group was restricted not only from caffeine but also from decaffeinated coffee and other caffeinated beverages. During the follow-up period, the average weekly coffee intake was seven cups in the consumption group and zero cups in the abstinence group, resulting in a weekly intake difference of seven cups between the two groups.

After six months, the recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter was 47% in the coffee consumption group and 64% in the abstinence group. Statistically, the risk of recurrence was about 39% lower in the group that consumed coffee. Similar results were observed when looking solely at the recurrence of atrial fibrillation, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of side effects between the two groups. The research team analyzed that, in addition to the anti-inflammatory effects of coffee, the reduction in the consumption of other unhealthy beverages due to coffee intake may have contributed to the decreased risk.

The researchers stated, "Although caffeine has traditionally been perceived as a trigger for arrhythmia, this randomized clinical trial showed that coffee consumption actually reduced the recurrence of atrial fibrillation," adding, "There is a need to re-evaluate the relationship between coffee consumption and arrhythmia."