Drinking too much coffee may lead to high cholesterol and heartburn, but could drinking moderately could also benefit your heart? Studies have linked moderate coffee consumption with decreased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), reduced arrhythmias and improved blood pressure.

The latest study to address this subject examined the diets and health of over half a million individuals over twelve years, tracking their diets and drinking habits for two or more cups of any variety of coffee (ground, instant or decaffeinated) had a significantly reduced risk of both heart-related deaths and all-cause mortality than non-coffee drinkers. This trend was even more evident among ground and instant drinkers who consumed their coffee as opposed to decaf brews, suggesting something about coffee itself helps protect people’s hearts!

These findings showed that frequent coffee consumption not only helped reduce heart-related diseases, but it also decreased atrial fibrillation occurrence – something many had thought unlikely as previous research has demonstrated its connection with faster heart rates and higher blood pressure – both factors which increase risk for irregular heartbeats. This unexpected finding came as something of a surprise since caffeine can increase heart rates as well as blood pressure, increasing risk for irregular heartbeats.

Additionally, this research revealed that those who regularly consumed coffee had a reduced risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of fatty deposits on arterial walls that is known as atherosclerosis and one major contributor to coronary heart disease resulting in chest pain or even heart attack. Researchers did not find the same results with decaffeinated coffee consumption though this could have been due to different results between a case-control and cohort study or perhaps other factors were at work here.

These findings may be encouraging, but that shouldn’t give you license to drink more than three cups of coffee daily. To reduce your risk for high cholesterol and blood pressure, it’s best to keep coffee consumption moderate and focus on following a healthy eating pattern consisting of lean proteins (fish, skinless poultry, beans nuts and tofu), vegetables whole grains low-fat dairy low sodium saturated fat content foods.

Although these studies demonstrate that drinking coffee may help protect against certain heart conditions, their authors cannot establish whether this effect is caused solely by caffeine consumption. Instead, other compounds present may also play an integral role; possibly polyphenols or magnesium. Whatever its source, however, these findings represent a positive step in fighting heart disease, encouraging you to enjoy your cup of joe without extra sugar and cream! Also don’t forget about other forms of heart-healthy fats like olive oil, canola oil and high oleic acid safflower and sunflower oils!