Medically Reviewed by Dennis J. Lang, DO

Coffee drinkers, here’s some good news, as long as we’re not talking 10 cups a day.

“In addition to helping many of us wake up in the morning, coffee has a number of health benefits,” says McLeod Cardiologist Dennis Lang, DO. “That’s not to say caffeine can’t become addictive, as seen with withdrawal headaches. A number of research studies show benefits if you drink 3-6 cups of coffee a day.”

HELP FOR THE HEART

• Moderate coffee consumption can reduce your risk of heart failure.
• Drinking coffee daily has a “moderate protective effect” against atrial fibrillation, another heart problem.
• Drinking 3-5 cups of coffee appears to lower the risk of calcium deposits building up in your heart’s arteries.
• Coffee helps reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, because the anti-oxidants in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee help the body control blood sugar.

COFFEE DOES HAVE ITS PROBLEMS

• Coffee can cause the feeling of anxiety or heart palpitations.
• Late night coffee can interfere with a good night’s sleep.
• Boiled coffee can contain cholesterol-raising compounds. But filtered coffee — has no effect on cholesterol levels.
• You can overdose on coffee, but it would take dozens of cups. Because it triggers the kidneys and urination, you may tire of trips to the bathroom before you’ve had enough caffeine.

COFFEE USE DISORDER

Caffeine dependence does exist, at least if you ask the World Health Organization. One study found that 33% of coffee users said they needed caffeine to function. You can withdraw by slowly replacing coffee with less caffeinated products. Tea has only about 25% of the caffeine that coffee does. Then, move on to noncaffeinated products.

During your withdrawal you may experience headaches, nervousness, fatigue and flu-like symptoms.

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE

Most existing research indicates little harm to your heart and vascular system, while offering some health benefits if you drink fewer than 5 cups of coffee a day. So you can keep drinking your coffee. Must make sure it’s part of a balanced, healthy diet.

If you already have heart disease or atrial fibrillation, it’s best to cut out the coffee.

If you do feel anxiety or heart palpitations, see your personal physician or a cardiologist to determine if you have a more serious problem.

Find a cardiologist near you.

Sources include: McLeod Health, Heart Online Journal, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Journal of the American Medical Association, American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, Journal of Caffeine Research