Is Coffee All That Bad For Your Heart?

You Should Know: Coffee has a bit of a reputation for being, well, not the best thing for your health. And when it comes to your heart, caffeine can be associated with the jitters and a racing heartbeat. However, a new clinical trial is challenging long-held advice that you should avoid caffeine if you’re prone to irregular heartbeats.

Going Deeper: The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed 200 adults with persistent atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heartbeat), assigning half to drink at least one cup of coffee a day and the other half to skip it. The results surprised even the scientists, as the coffee drinkers had a lower risk of their irregular heartbeat returning compared with the abstaining group. They also went longer before experiencing an episode at all. 

Takeaway: It looks like people with A-fib can still enjoy their morning coffee without worry. Researchers aren’t ready to say it protects the heart, exactly, but a cup seems totally fine (with your doctor’s approval, of course).

Bottom Line: While coffee has often been blamed for raising heart rate, this trial suggests the relationship may be more complex than previously believed. Still don’t like how coffee makes you feel, but love the taste? We recommend checking these folks out.