American Heart Association Reveals Safe Amount of Daily Coffee Consumption

There’s some good news for regular coffee drinkers, after the American Heart Association issued a new scientific statement regarding the amount of coffee it’s safe to drink each day. Published on July 20 in the AMA’s peer-reviewed journal Circulation, the statement is titled Caffeine and Cardiovascular Disease.

The statement’s authors concluded that drinking up to five cups of coffee per day is generally safe for most adults. This equals around 400 milligrams of caffeine. Furthermore, the statement indicated that moderate caffeine consumption could be linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Meanwhile, there is no consensus on whether coffee consumption can be linked to higher risks of developing high blood pressure. However, drinking up to three cups a day seems to be a safe amount. With that said, the authors recommend those with high blood pressure should discuss their caffeine intake with their healthcare provider.

Preparation Method Is Important

Interestingly enough, the AMA statement makes special mention of the brew method used to prepare coffee. In short, brewing methods such as espresso, Turkish coffee and French press retain cafestol, a naturally occurring compound in coffee that can raise LDL cholesterol. With that in mind, the AMA recommends drinking coffee that has been brewed using paper filters.

Predictably, the statement makes it clear that coffee additions such as sugar, creamer and syrups significantly reduce coffee’s health benefits. In fact, adding too much of anything to your daily cup may result in health problems.

Energy Drinks

As expected, the AMA statement is hesitant to include other sources of caffeine in its recommendations. These include tea, soda and energy drinks. The latter category, in particular contains added ingredients that may accentuate the effects of caffeine in the body, increase caffeine absorption and could raise blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular harm. The authors conclude that more comprehensive research on energy drinks, shots and foods should be a priority in assessing their safety.

Still No General Consensus

While coffee continues to be studied with regards to its health benefits, scientists and researchers are yet to reach a consensus on whether coffee is good for your heart.

For example, a past study published by the AMA provided evidence that those with severely high blood pressure should significantly decrease their coffee consumption. However, coffee is strongly linked to a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. And it could play a part in extending your life.

Ultimately, the new AMA statement certainly promotes moderate coffee consumption as a health benefit. But the association is careful not to encourage people to drink coffee for overall heart health.