Morning perks: New research touts coffee’s cognitive benefits for heart patients

A recent Swiss study has revealed that drinking more than five cups of coffee daily may improve cognitive performance and reduce inflammation in people with heart rhythm disorders or atrial fibrillation. Researchers say caffeinated coffee can also potentially offset the increased risk of cognitive decline in these patients.

Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study tracked over 2,400 people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in Switzerland from 2014 to 2017. Those who consumed more coffee scored better on cognitive test scores. Atrial fibrillation is noted to increase the risk of developing cognitive impairments.

“Many myths are around, but our study found no reason to discourage or forbid a patient with AFib from drinking coffee. Instead, say, ‘Enjoy, it may even be good for you.’” says Jürg H. Beer, M.D., senior study author and professor of medicine and hematology at the University of Zürich in Switzerland.

According to the American Heart Association, over five million people in the US suffer from atrial fibrillation. The condition and Alzheimer’s disease are also linked with systemic inflammation.

“It is known that regular coffee consumption benefits cognitive performance among healthy people,” adds Massimo Barbagallo, M.D., lead author of the study and a resident in the neurointensive care unit at the University Hospital Zürich. “The most frequent cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, is known to independently increase the risk of dementia.” 

“Thus, the question is whether coffee might offset the increased risk of cognitive impairment in people with atrial fibrillation.”

Cognitive health boost 

Cognition was tested for processing speed, visuomotor coordination and attention, which improved by 11% from coffee drinkers compared to non-consumers. Also, cognitive age was estimated to be 6.7 years younger in coffee drinkers than those who consumed the least.

Cognition improved by 11% from coffee drinkers compared to non-consumers.The researchers noted inflammatory markers were more than 20% lower in those who drank five cups of coffee daily than in those who drank less than one cup.

“There was a very clear and consistent “dose-response” association between drinking more coffee and doing better on several different sophisticated cognitive tests,” says Beer.

“Inflammatory markers decreased with higher coffee consumption, an association that remained after considering variables such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, physical activity and a history of stroke.”

Study limitations 

However, José Joglar, professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, US, says that since coffee does not seem to worsen atrial fibrillation, it is unnecessary to remove it from diets. “However, we cannot say starting to drink coffee would prevent atrial fibrillation or prevent long-term cognitive decline.”

The cross-sectional study’s limitations are that it measured cognitive ability and coffee consumption at the same point in time, thereby not establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between the two. 

“This means that the study could not evaluate differences in cognitive decline with age and that the reported current coffee drinking may not reflect changes in consumption over the previous years.” 

“The study may not be generalizable to other populations as it included a mostly white population in Switzerland, where people tend to drink espressos,” says the American Heart Association.

Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of developing cognitive impairments.The US federal dietary guidelines suggest three to five eight-ounce cups of plain black coffee daily could be part of a healthy diet. This is because lattes and macchiatos are high in calories, sugar and fat.

Coffee and cognition in news

Recent research has suggested that drinking morning coffee lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality than drinking it all day. 

An animal model study, which builds on the results of human studies, revealed the effects of paraxanthine —  the main metabolite of caffeine — in enhancing memory and neuroplasticity. 

In cognitive health, researchers are warning that eating processed red meat causes an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline compared with people who eat very little meat.