The heart wants more coffee

Valentine’s Day is upon us – a holiday that can trigger a wide range of emotions such as joy, anticipation, gratitude – and even fear.

A “friend” told me that, if one walks down the “Valentine Day’s Card” aisle on February 13th, you will see hordes of wild-eyed, sweaty men frantically elbowing each other like a football team’s offensive line, scanning and jamming cards back into slots and fighting over nearly-matching envelopes.?

Did I mention that “a friend” told me that? Scary indeed!

Of course, Valentine’s Day is intended to celebrate love and matters of the heart.?If you’re anything like me, the thought of your first sip of coffee every morning sets your heart aflutter. You might wonder whether that’s cause for concern - rest assured. That pitter patter is just how love feels. In fact, contrary to old misunderstandings, independent scientific evidence shows that drinking coffee regularly is associated with a reduced risk of irregular heart rhythms.

Coffee has long been associated with a healthy ticker. For example, dating back to at least 2008, large studies have consistently shown that drinking up to 6 cups of coffee per day is associated with significantly decreased incidence of high blood pressure.

One study published in the American Heart Association’s Stroke journal found that drinking just one cup of coffee per week reduced the risk of death from any cause by 14%, with?the protective effect particularly pronounced in heart attack survivors. Coffee drinkers who previously survived a heart attack were 22% less likely to die prematurely.

That’s right, your old friend coffee may even help heal broken hearts - other research has show that a protein found in coffee promotes heart cell health and can help protect cells from dying after a heart attack.

Drinking coffee is associated with particularly strong benefits for women’s heart health, so a mug may be perfect for your “galentines.” One recent study found that drinking coffee is associated with reducing women’s risk of heart disease by up to 20%.?

To complete coffee’s cardiovascular health circuit, drinking coffee has also been associated with reduced risk of stroke. A meta-analysis of 9 cohort studies published in 2012 found that people who consume 4 cups of coffee per day experience significantly fewer strokes, a reduction of as much as 18% in some studies.

And while young love tends to get a lot of attention, nothing beats the gift of growing old (gracefully, if I do say so myself). Decades of independent evidence, like this study published by the National Institutes for Health, show that coffee drinkers live longer than people who never drink coffee. We were disappointed to see that a recent study on diet and longevity garnered a lot of headlines for nuts and beans but left out the amazing coffee bean. That truly IS nuts!

As always, if you have specific questions about your own health you should consult a medical professional. But pouring another cup of America’s favorite beverage this Valentine’s Day, and everyday, can be part of your gift to your heart (or your sweetheart.)

Thanks for reading – I’d tell you more, but I’ve heard something about these downloadable e-cards that not only are environmentally friendly, but can be downloaded at like 2am or something, and that really piqued my interest.?

To help a friend, of course.

Want to learn more about the science on coffee and health? Get the facts from head to toe on our website.

NCA: We Serve Coffee.

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