Rejoice! Science Says Your Coffee Addiction Is Good For You
It turns out coffee may be really good for you, so drink up
It turns out science is really awesome sometimes. Like this week, when it revealed that drinking a whole bunch of coffee could be really good for your heart!
A new study shows that drinking four cups of coffee a day could have some surprising, heart-healthy benefits, especially for people who are recovering from heart attacks. The study, published by Judith Haendeler and Joachim Altschmied of Heinrich-Heine-University and the IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Duesseldorf, Germany in PLOS Biology, found that the amount of caffeine you get from four cups of joe is the ideal amount for heart health.
That amount, according to researchers, pushes an enzyme that typically slows cell division into the mitochondria of your cells, which apparently triggers your body to start repairing your heart muscles. For anyone who’s had a heart attack or suffers from cardiovascular problems, this could be great news.
The study has so far only shown this effect in mice, and researchers do say they need to do more research to see if human hearts react the same way.
“Our results indicate a new mode of action for caffeine, one that promotes protection and repair of heart muscle through the action of mitochondrial p27,” Haendeler said in a statement. “These results should lead to better strategies for protecting heart muscle from damage, including consideration of coffee consumption or caffeine as an additional dietary factor in the elderly population.”
And the really good news is that this study is all about the caffeine, which means any kind of coffee would theoretically have this effect. If you love lattes or dressed up Frappuccinos, have at ’em! The sugar and calories aren’t great for you, but you’re taking care of your heart! That fancy espresso drink is basically a health food.
OK, so that may be going a little far. But this isn’t the first time a study has shown coffee may be really good for us. So get that caffeine you need so badly, and don’t feel bad about it.
