Coffee Consumption Lowers Risk
Drinking two to three cups of coffee daily is associated with an 11% lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation, according to a prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank published in Food & Nutrition Research.
Researchers from Zhengzhou University, its First Affiliated Hospital, and Peking University examined data from 495,269 adults without atrial fibrillation at baseline. Participants had an average age of roughly 57 years and reported their usual beverage intake through questionnaires.
During an average follow-up of 13 years, 37,261 participants developed the heart rhythm disorder. The statistical models accounted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, physical activity, and socioeconomic circumstances.
Coffee Consumption Lowers Atrial Fibrillation Risk
Participants consuming 0.5 to 1 cup of coffee daily showed a 7% lower adjusted hazard of atrial fibrillation compared to non-drinkers. Those consuming at least 4 cups daily experienced a 9% reduction, indicating a non-linear relationship where greater consumption did not yield a progressively lower risk.
Tea consumption showed a more modest pattern across the cohort. Drinking 2 to 3 cups of tea daily was associated with a 5% lower adjusted hazard, while other intake categories failed to reach statistical significance in the main analysis.
Roughly 22% of participants did not consume coffee, while 31% drank 2 to 3 cups daily. Approximately 15% of participants did not consume tea, and 44% drank at least four cups daily.
Observational Limitations Remain
Because the investigation was observational, the findings cannot establish that drinking coffee or tea prevents atrial fibrillation. Coffee intake measurements included decaffeinated varieties, meaning the study assessed coffee consumption rather than isolating caffeine exposure.
Additional limitations included self-reported beverage intake recorded only at baseline, failing to capture changes in drinking habits over time. Cup size, preparation practices, brewing methods, and beverage strength were also unstandardized.
Most participants were White, which restricts how widely the findings apply to other groups. Residual confounding remained possible despite multivariate adjustments, and coffee and tea were analyzed in separate models without adjusting for each other.
Common Questions About Heart Rhythm
Does the study prove that coffee prevents atrial fibrillation?
No, the observational findings do not establish that either coffee or tea prevents the condition, and researchers emphasize that the data only describe an association with future risk.
Can the results be attributed directly to caffeine?
No, because coffee intake included decaffeinated varieties, the study assessed overall coffee consumption rather than measuring caffeine exposure directly.
How many participants developed atrial fibrillation during the study?
During approximately 13 years of follow-up, 37,261 out of 495,269 participants developed atrial fibrillation.
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