coffee
IN PHOTO: Bryan Yeck, owner of Zeitgeist Kunst and Kafee in downtown Seattle, holds a latte at his cafe in downtown Seattle Reuters/ Anthony P Bolante

According to a new study, people who like to drink coffee in moderate amounts are less likely to risk themselves with the occurrence of heart-related fatal diseases such as a heart attach or a stroke. However, the conclusion has been established on the limitation that only three to five coffees a day are sufficient to enjoy the health benefits.

A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore studied the link between the consumption of coffee and its effect on the coronary artery calcium (CAC). Studies in the past have associated the ill-effects of coffee consumption with the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, however, the recent study seems to discard it.

Although the reason for the link between coffee consumption and low arterial calcium is not known, it is speculated that the arteries remain less hardened due to decreased risk of Type II diabetes, a factor attributed to the consumption of coffee.

CAC level is measured with the help of a CT scan and is considered as an early indicator of the coronary atherosclerosis. In atherosclerosis, the arteries become hard and it becomes difficult for the blood to pass through the arteries efficiently since these are narrowed down, thus increasing the risk of heart attack.

The researchers conducted their study on a group of around 25,000 people in the South Korea, including men and women. The research findings reveal that people who consumed three to four cups of coffee a day had less calcium deposits in their artery, thus lowering the risk of attack and stroke. The coffee non-drinkers, on the other hand, had more amount of arterial calcium.

The researchers, however, have warned not to increase the coffee consumption just because it does not have an impact on the heart.

The study has been published in the online journal Heart.

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