Coffee drinkers have long wondered what health risks or benefits come with drinking the popular beverage. While there is no definitive relationship between coffee and heart health, there is some evidence to show that drinking coffee, including instant coffee, may help prevent or protect against heart disease. If you need medical advice about your heart health, talk to a physician or medical care provider.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is a term that describes an array of health problems that affect the heart. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the no. 1 cause of death in the United States. Lifestyle decisions, such as a person's diet and frequency of exercise, are key factors that affect the likelihood of developing heart disease. People who drink coffee as a regular part of their diet may have a lower chance of developing heart disease because of it.
Coffee and Heart Health
Some scientific evidence exists to show that people who drink instant coffee have a lesser chance of developing heart disease than those that do not. A 2008 study published in the "Annals of Internal Medicine" found that people who drank several cups of coffee per day were less likely to die of heart disease than others. The study followed 129,000 people over 20 years and determined that those who drank four or more cups a day were significantly less likely to die from heart disease.
Instant Coffee vs. Brewed or Filtered
Instant coffee may have a different effect on heart health than non-instant coffee. According to a 1993 study published in the "Journal of Epidemiology," which surveyed 10,000 men and women and compared the rates of heart disease to those who drank five or more cups of instant coffee per day. Those who drank five or more cups of coffee had lower heart disease rates than those who did not. This study contradicted earlier studies that found an elevated risk of heart disease for coffee drinkers, but those studies centered on people who drank filtered or boiled coffee.
Other Considerations
While drinking instant coffee may correlate with a lower likelihood of dying from heart disease, that does not necessarily mean there is a causal relationship. Those who drink a lot of instant coffee, for example, may be more active than those who do not. There is also some evidence to show that heart disease risks are genetically affected. A 2006 study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," for example, revealed that people with a specific gene mutation had a higher risk of developing heart disease, because the mutation affects how a person's body processes caffeine.
References
- New Scientist; Guzzling Coffee May Cut Heart Disease; Ewen Callaway; June, 2008
- The Independent; Instant Coffee May Protect Against Heart Disease; June 1993
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: February is American Heart Month
- New Scientist; Genes Decide if Coffee Hurts of Helps Your Heart; Roxanne Khamsi; March, 2006,
