Study: Long-term Coffee Drinkers Not at Risk

Regular coffee drinkers don’t seem to be at a higher risk of dying from heart disease, according to a new study.

In the past, studies have presented mixed opinions on the various health effects from drinking coffee.

Lead author Esther Lopez-Garcia, of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain, and colleagues studied the effects of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee in 84,214 U.S. women from 1980 to 2004 and 41,736 U.S. men from 1986 to 2004.

Regular coffee drinking was defined as up to six cups per day.

Researchers found that regular coffee drinking did not magnify the risk of deaths among middle-aged participants. They found no link between coffee consumption and cancer deaths. In fact, they noted that coffee drinkers, particularly the women, experienced a small decline in death rates from heart disease.

"Our study indicates that coffee consumption does not have a detrimental effect," said Lopez-Garcia. "It seems like long-term coffee consumption may have some beneficial effects."

The study found that women who reported drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease than women who did not drink coffee. The researchers saw a smaller decreased risk for men but it was not statistically significant.

A previous study released in January showed that pregnant women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day had twice the risk of miscarriage as those who avoid caffeine. Another study appearing in January found that drinking caffeinated coffee lowered a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer.

Some scientists have argued that the stimulants and other compounds found in coffee could have dangerous health effects.

But in the most recent study, participants answered questionnaires on how frequently they drank coffee, other diet habits, smoking and medical conditions.

Researchers compared the mortality risk to people with different coffee-drinking habits.

Those involved with the study had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer when they began.

Other previous studies have shown that coffee may be beneficial by providing antioxidants, which may protect against the effects of molecules called free radicals that can damage cells and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other ailments.