Good Lifestyle

Whether your preference is a latte, cream and sugar, or straight espresso, the smell of fresh coffee grounds in the morning can be enough to get you out of bed and moving. But what if the benefits went beyond the taste or that pleasant jolt of caffeine? Research has found reason to link this morning beverage with specific health benefits, including a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease—and for those who indulge in more than one cup, the news may be even better. Read on to find out more about how your morning cup of Joe could be safeguarding your wellbeing.

RELATED: Drinking Too Much of This Popular Beverage Can Ruin Your Heart, Experts Warn.

Your monthly Starbucks Rewards membership just got a whole lot sweeter. According to findings recently presented at the American College of Cardiology's 71st Annual Scientific Session, drinking coffee, specifically having two to three cups each day, lowers your risk of heart disease and dangerous heart rhythms. While coffee sometimes gets a bad rap—with many believing the adage that it stunts your growth—data actually suggest that daily consumption can help you live longer.

"Because coffee can quicken heart rate, some people worry that drinking it could trigger or worsen certain heart issues. This is where general medical advice to stop drinking coffee may come from. But our data suggest that daily coffee intake shouldn't be discouraged, but rather included as a part of a healthy diet for people with and without heart disease," the study's senior author Peter M. Kistler, MD, professor and head of arrhythmia research at the Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart Institute in Melbourne, Australia, said in a press release.

"We found coffee drinking had either a neutral effect—meaning that it did no harm—or was associated with benefits to heart health," Kistler added, also pointing out that these benefits were seen in patients both with and without cardiovascular disease.

Data was collected from over 500,000 people in the UK BioBank prospective database. Participants filled out a questionnaire when entering the registry, and Kistler's team grouped patients by how many cups of coffee they were consuming each day, ranging between zero and more than five. After controlling for other factors that could contribute to heart health, namely alcohol, exercise, smoking, diabetes, and altapresyon, it was concluded that in most cases, drinking coffee had significant reductions in cardiovascular risk.

When looking at a group of 382,535 individuals without known heart disease in one study, the team found that two to three cups of coffee daily had the greatest benefits, lowering risk of developing coronary heart disease, heart failure, a heart rhythm problem, or death for any reason by 10 to 15 percent. A second study evaluated 34,729 patients with some form of cardiovascular disease at baseline, two to three cups of coffee were yet again found to be associated with lower risk of dying.

There was no association between drinking coffee and risk of heart rhythm problems, namely atrial fibrillation (AFib)—an irregular, rapid heart rhythm—or atrial flutter. Those who had an arrhythmia at baseline and also drank coffee had a lower risk of death, and coffee drinkers with AFib were almost 20 percent less likely to die than those who didn't drink coffee. This finding is of particular importance, as the impact of caffeine on these conditions is often an area of concern for healthcare providers.

"Clinicians generally have some apprehension about people with known cardiovascular disease or arrhythmias continuing to drink coffee, so they often err on the side of caution and advise them to stop drinking it altogether due to fears that it may trigger dangerous heart rhythms," Kistler said. "But our study shows that regular coffee intake is safe and could be part of a healthy diet for people with heart disease."

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Caffeine has its pros and cons for several coffee drinkers, but coffee beans may be additionally beneficial for your health, containing over 100 biologically active compounds. According to Kistler, this is helpful to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and to keep your metabolism going.

Sinuri ni Kistler at ng kanyang koponan ang instant versus ground coffee, pati na rin ang caffeinated versus decaf, bilang isang variable sa isang ikatlong pag-aaral ng cardiovascular risk. Anuman ang form-ito instant o lupa-dalawa sa tatlong tasa ng kape araw-araw ay may positibong epekto. Hindi lamang ang mga kalahok sa pag-aaral ay may mas mababang rate ng kamatayan, kundi pati na rin ang panganib ng arrhythmias, artery blockage sa puso,stroke, at pagkabigo sa puso. Ang caffeine, gayunpaman, ay may papel na ginagampanan at maaaring ang ginustong pagpili. Kahit na ang decaf coffee ay nagbawas ng mga rate ng cardiovascular disease, hindi kasama ang pagkabigo sa puso, hindi ito gumawa ng parehong kanais-nais na mga epekto laban sa insidente arrhythmia.

Kung handa ka nang umasa sa iyong coffee quota bukas ng umaga, ginagawa ito ng Kistler cautions kung ito ay hindi ka komportable onag-trigger ng pagkabalisa.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB.

"May isang buong hanay ng mga mekanismo kung saan ang kape ay maaaring mabawasan ang dami ng namamatay at magkaroon ng mga kanais-nais na epekto sa cardiovascular disease," sabi ni Kistler. "Ang mga uminom ng kape ay dapat pakiramdam na reassured na maaari nilang patuloy na tangkilikin ang kape kahit na mayroon silang sakit sa puso. Ang kape ay ang pinaka-karaniwang cognitive enhancer-wakes ka, ginagawang kaayusan ka ng dalaga at ito ay isang napakahalagang bahagi ng araw-araw na buhay ng maraming tao."

Ang mga mananaliksik ay nabanggit din ang mga limitasyon ng mga pinag-aaralan, na maaaring makaapekto sa katumpakan ng mga resulta. Ang iba pang mga kadahilanan sa pandiyeta na maaaring maglagay ng mga kalahok sa panganib para sa cardiovascular disease ay hindi isinasa bilang bahagi ng pananaliksik, at ang mga investigator ay umaasa sa data na naiulat na nakolekta sa simula ng pag-aaral. Wala ring kinakailangan upang ilista kung paano mo kinukuha ang iyong kape, kung may mga creamers, milks, o iba pang mga additives ng matamis, at karamihan sa mga kalahok sa pag-aaral ay puti, nililimitahan ang pangkalahatan ng mga natuklasan.

Kaugnay:Hindi ginagawa ito bago ang kama ay maaaring masaktan ang iyong puso, ang mga eksperto ay nagbababala.