Are coffee's ingredients healthier with caffeine or without?

Research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 71st Annual Scientific Session indicates that moderate daily coffee intake can lower the risk of heart disease and arrhythmia, while decaf shows no such benefit for preventing arrhythmia. Decaf is low in caffeine but not caffeine-free, so sensitive drinkers may still feel discomfort. For vascular dementia and Alzheimer's risk, freshly ground coffee outperforms instant, and instant outperforms decaf.

The findings draw on the UK BioBank, comparing 382,500 adults without cardiovascular disease, average age 57, and 34,279 adults with some form of it. Coffee contains more than 100 bioactive compounds; added sugar and creamer often drive the health effects people attribute to the drink itself. Questions about whether instant coffee can cause cancer remain separate from these cardiovascular findings.

For a long time, caffeine has often been seen as the culprit behind coffee's unhealthy reputation, leading many people to switch to decaf. But recent research shows that moderate intake of caffeinated coffee can actually lower the risk of heart disease and arrhythmia, while decaf has no positive effect on preventing arrhythmia. More notably, when it comes to reducing the risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease, freshly ground coffee outperforms instant coffee, and instant coffee outperforms decaf. Coffee itself is rich in more than 100 bioactive compounds, and what truly affects health is often the sugar and creamer we add. This article will draw on multiple large-scale studies to clarify the real relationship between coffee and health.

As long as intake is well controlled, caffeinated coffee is actually good for the body.

Although coffee is increasingly accepted and loved by more people, many still believe that drinking coffee is bad for health. This notion stems from the caffeine in coffee—it stimulates the central nervous system, excites the sympathetic nerves, and thereby strengthens heart contractions, leading to a faster heartbeat, palpitations, and similar reactions.

That's why we often hear family or friends advise: drinking so much of anything with caffeine does no good! Many people who heed this advice but still want coffee then turn their attention to decaf.

Can decaf really ease the symptoms of a racing heart and palpitations after drinking coffee? The answer is clearly no. Although decaf is low in caffeine, it is not completely caffeine-free. If you are sensitive to caffeine, even decaf may still cause physical discomfort.

At the 71st Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology held in March this year, Peter M Kistler, MD, professor and head of arrhythmia research at the University of Alfred, stated: through research, drinking a moderate amount of coffee every day can reduce the risk of heart disease and arrhythmia.

Peter M Kistler introduced that the research team's data came from the large prospective database UK BioBank. Based on the coffee consumption recorded in the questionnaires at patient registration, they analyzed its impact on heart rhythm, comparing 382,500 adults without cardiovascular disease (average age 57) and 34,279 adults with some form of cardiovascular disease.

The study ultimately found that participants who originally had no cardiovascular disease and drank 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day had the lowest subsequent risk of heart disease, and also the lowest risk of stroke or death from vascular disease.

For participants who already had cardiovascular disease and drank coffee, compared with those who did not drink coffee, patients who drank 2 to 3 cups per day had a lower risk of death. The research team also found that drinking any amount of coffee did not increase these patients' risk of heart rhythm problems, including atrial fibrillation or flutter.

A cup like this won't do

In addition to research showing that caffeine helps reduce the risk of heart disease and arrhythmia, another medical study indicates that drinking coffee together with tea can double the prevention of stroke, dementia, and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

The study was published in 2021 in the journal Plos Medicine. Starting in 2006, the research team studied 365,682 participants aged 50 to 74 from the UK Biobank, and followed them until 2020.

The researchers used a COX proportional hazards model to assess the association between drinking coffee or tea and stroke and dementia, while adjusting for participants' weight, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking status, dietary patterns, sugar-sweetened beverage intake, and other diseases or disease risks.

During the 11.4-year study period, a total of 5,079 participants developed dementia and 10,053 participants had a stroke. The analysis showed that compared with participants who drank neither coffee nor tea, those who drank 2 to 3 cups of coffee or tea per day had a 32% lower risk of stroke and a 28% lower risk of dementia. (This analysis was based on drinking only coffee or only tea.)

Compared with people who drank neither coffee nor tea, participants who drank 0.5 to 1 cup of coffee plus 2 to 3 cups of tea per day could reduce the risk of post-stroke dementia by 50%; while participants who drank 0.5 to 1 cup of coffee plus more than 4 cups of tea per day could reduce dementia risk by 30%. (This analysis was based on drinking both coffee and tea.)

After excluding other factors, the researchers found that compared with participants who drank only coffee or only tea, those who drank both coffee and tea had an 11% lower risk of ischemic stroke and an 18% lower risk of vascular dementia (excluding dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease).

This research report also mentioned that with regard to dementia:

Compared with drinking instant coffee, drinking freshly ground coffee reduced the risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease by 18% and 23%, respectively.

Compared with drinking decaf, drinking instant coffee reduced the risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease by 16% and 19%, respectively.

Compared with drinking decaf, drinking freshly ground coffee reduced the risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease by 26% and 33%, respectively.

Therefore, when choosing coffee, drinking freshly ground coffee is better than drinking instant coffee, and drinking instant coffee is better than drinking decaf.

The cardiovascular disease research report also pointed out that compared with coffee containing no or low caffeine, caffeinated freshly ground coffee and caffeinated instant coffee, as long as they are consumed in moderation every day, can effectively reduce the risk of arrhythmia, blocked heart arteries, stroke, or heart failure. Decaf, however, has no positive effect on preventing arrhythmia, but it can reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases other than heart failure.

The coffee mentioned above all refers to coffee itself, that is, coffee with no added sugar, milk, or other ingredients. Regardless of the variety of coffee beans, they all contain more than 100 bioactive compounds, which help reduce oxidation and various inflammations in the body.

Coffee itself is healthy. It is often considered unhealthy because milk, creamer, or sugar is added. Excessive intake of foods containing these substances increases the risk of obesity and raises the likelihood of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

So it is not coffee that is unhealthy, and it is not necessarily caffeine that makes the body feel uncomfortable. Of course, people who are truly sensitive to caffeine cannot be ruled out. If physical discomfort is caused by sensitivity to caffeine, then all coffee is not recommended, and you can switch to tea (except milk tea). Tea itself also has antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.