Caffeine Linked to Reduced Risk of Stroke, Heart Disease
Is caffeine good for us or not? You'll find this question all over the internet, and researchers can't seem to decide.
The Conversation summarized some research on this in a 2022 article: "Coffee is good for you. Or it's not. Maybe it is, then it isn't, then it is again."
Instead of trying to answer that question, some researchers focus more specifically on how our bodies respond to caffeine. And in a new study, researchers found that drinking coffee could help reduce our risks of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM).
If someone has CM it means they have at least two cardiometabolic diseases — preventable conditions like diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
According to experts, there has been an increase in the number of people who have one or more of these conditions during their lives. They're often caused by smoking, bad diet, drinking too much alcohol, or not getting enough exercise.
The study, led by researchers in China, found that drinking moderate amounts of tea or coffee — that's about three cups per day — was associated with a lower risk of CM.
The researchers looked at data from about 180,000 people in the UK. None of them had any cardiometabolic diseases when the study began.
People were asked how many caffeinated drinks they consumed per day, and their health was tracked.
Those who drank three cups of tea or coffee per day reduced their risk of getting CM by 48%, compared to people who didn't drink tea or coffee or who drank less than one cup per day.
However, the researchers were not able to prove that caffeine intake was the reason for this reduced risk — as other factors may actually be the cause of the improved heart health.
Chemistry professor Thomas Merritt, who wrote for The Conversation, has his own message about coffee: "Will drinking coffee make you healthier or help you live longer? Probably not."
He added: "Wake up with a strong cup of coffee, but stay healthy with a complex and varied diet."
