The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee highlights latest research on coffee and cardiovascular health to mark World Heart Day

To mark World Heart Day on 29th September 2014, the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) is highlighting the latest research into coffee and cardiovascular health, which suggests that coffee consumption may be linked to a reduced risk of CVD mortality.

A recent meta-analysis, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, has examined the dose-response associations between coffee consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all cancers. A total of 21 prospective studies were included in the analysis, with 121,915 deaths from the 997,464 participants.

The results of this study indicate that coffee consumption is inversely (i.e. favourably) associated with both CVD and all-cause mortality. A 21% risk reduction for CVD mortality was observed in participants consuming 3 cups of coffee per day, and a 16% risk reduction was observed for all-cause mortality in those consuming 4 cups per day. No association was found between coffee consumption and cancer mortality.

This recent paper adds to the existing body of research on this topic3,4,5. To date, the body of scientific evidence supports a favourable relationship between moderate coffee consumption, cardiovascular health and mortality.

Across the global, CVD is a major public health concern. In Europe, CVD (principally coronary heart disease and stroke) is the main cause of death, responsible for over 50% of all deaths1 – that’s 4.5 million people a year1.

For more information on the latest science behind coffee and CVD, please visit the Coffee and Health website, where you will find a research summary, vodcast and special feature on coffee and CVD risk factors.