A new study in Brazil recently updated the health benefits of coffee. Researchers at the University of São Paulo found that drinking three cups of coffee a day helped lower the risk of atherosclerosis, which in turn reduced the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The study is aimed at more than 4,400 people with a 50-year-old average age. The researchers divided the participants into three groups based on how much coffee they drank each day: less than one cup per day, one to three cups per day and three cups per day. The researchers assessed the calcium deposition of coronary arteries by conducting CT scans of three groups of people. Coronary artery calcification occurs when excessive calcium deposition occurs on the coronary artery wall, which is one of the manifestations of atherosclerosis. The results showed that the degree of coronary artery calcification was negatively correlated with the amount of coffee intake. Specifically, compared to the two groups of participants who drank less than one cup or one to three cups a day, the risk of coronary calcification was lower by 63% per three cup. The research paper is published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The researchers said that a comprehensive analysis of other relevant factors found that the above correlation is only more obvious in non-smokers. The negative effects of smoking on arteries far outweigh the benefits of coffee, so drinking coffee has little to do with the calcium deposition of vascular walls for those who have a history of smoking or are smoking. At present, the observational study has not yet figured out what ingredients in coffee have the effect of a clear blood vessel to protect the heart, possibly caffeine, or the antioxidant content contained in coffee. However, experts caution that excessive drinking of coffee is not conducive to health.
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