AFib stands for Atrial Fibrillation. The American Heart Association (AHA) has previously stated that drinking coffee can slow cognitive aging and fight systemic inflammation. But not in folks with AFib. Now, a new study says coffee might, indeed, help AFib sufferers!
Doctors and the American Heart Association’s current official recommendations state that abstaining from caffeine to prevent heart rhythm disturbances is of no benefit to people with AFib. But…
New science says otherwise
But a new study published in the December, 2024 edition the Journal of the American Heart Association, turns that notion on its head.
Study senior author Dr. Jürg H. Beer, M.D. of the study of the University of Zürich in Switzerland says he and his team wanted to test that hypothesis, which they suspected was more ‘myth’ than fact.
What they did
The team looked at the health records of 2,413 people, average age 73, 27 percent of whom were women. All had AFib and were enrolled in Swiss Atrial Fibrillation Cohort Study (Swiss-AF) between 2014 and 2017. Participants had undergone at least eight years of monitoring for stroke, inflammation blood markers and blood-clotting, brain imaging and repeated cognitive testing.
At enrollment, participants completed various cognitive tests measuring verbal skills, executive functioning, memory, processing speed, visual-motor coordination and attention. Participants were also evaluated for depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale
What they found
Key findings of the study included:
- Overall, higher cognitive test scores were associated with higher coffee consumption.
- Specifically, scores for processing speed, visuomotor coordination and attention improved by 11 percent among coffee consumers compared to non-consumers.
- Cognitive age was calculated to be 6.7 years younger among those who drank the most coffee compared to those who drank the least.
- Inflammatory markers were more than 20 percent lower in participants drinking five cups daily than in participants drinking less than one cup daily.
- Researchers did not find any interaction between age, sex and coffee consumption.
The findings on cognitive age and inflammation confirmed earlier studies that looked at coffee consumption but did not take AFib into specific consideration.
The takeaway
“Many myths are around,” Beer sums up. “But our study found no reason to discourage or forbid a patient with AFib from drinking coffee. Instead, say, ‘Enjoy! It may even be good for you!'”
My take
I’ve long believed – based solely on my own experience – that coffee drinking was a habit that offered more benefits than drawbacks.
The new study’s findings will certainly be good news to the more than 5 million people in the US who suffer from AFib, according to the AHA.
But I think the fact that it confirms the general benefits of coffee drinking nay be moire important to the general population!
~ Maggie J.