Drinking coffee reduces your risk of dying from heart disease.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined the relationship between coffee and mortality.

It is based on the coffee drinking habits of 41,736 men and 86,216 women with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer. The men were followed for 18 years, the women for 24 years.

The results show that those who drank more coffee had a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease [heart attacks].

The association is explained mostly by a decrease in cardiovascular disease deaths, Lopez-Garcia says.

Women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day, for instance, had a 25% lower risk of dying from heart disease than non-drinkers.

In addition, researchers from the SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Brooklyn College have discovered that drinking plenty of coffee protects the over-65s from heart disease.

Decaf won’t help, as it’s the caffeine in coffee that has the protective effect.

According to John Kassotis, MD, "The protection against death from heart disease in the elderly afforded by caffeine is likely due to caffeine's enhancement of blood pressure."

Best of all, if you’re over 65 and a coffee lover, it seems the benefits are dose-related. That is to say, the more coffee you drink, the greater the protection provided.

This does not, of course, mean you should be self-treating existing heart conditions with huge amounts of coffee each day.

Coffee isn’t a treatment for anything, least of all heart disease.

But it is reassuring to see that as each month goes by, more and more studies are revealing a broad range of health benefits associated with drinking coffee.

Coffee is not only delicious, and the perfect way to wake up each morning, but it is also good for our health.

About the author: Nick Usborne, aka Coffee Detective, is a writer and long-time coffee enthusiast. Read more…