Love Coffee? This Many Cups Was Just Linked To A Lower Risk Of Heart Disease

If you’re thinking that four cups of coffee sounds like an awful lot of caffeine, you’re not wrong. Though it’s not going to necessarily hurt you, given how differently people process caffeine it might be too much. The researchers also point out that there’s a need for more detailed research into factors like what exactly a cup of coffee is—does it have cream and sugar? Is it a cold brew ? Espresso or drip? There’s a lot of variation that may be at play and could really matter.

When it comes to the caffeine concern, strategies like microdosing can help make sure you don’t end up too jittery if you are someone who’s drinking that much, but it’s certainly not the only way to manage risk of cardiovascular disease.

Diet, beyond just preferred caffeinated beverages, plays a huge role in heart health. Studies have linked a more Mediterranean-style diet with better heart health (especially when legumes are a primary protein source) as well as diets that are rich in vitamin K (which comes in two varieties, found in green leafy vegetables and egg yolk or dairy product, respectively).

Even our emotions might impact our heart health, according to integrative cardiologist Kavitha Chinnaiyan, M.D. “In Ayurvedic teachings, the physical heart lies in the vicinity of the heart chakra,” she writes on mindbodygreen, “The accumulation of guilt, shame, resentment, hatred, anger, hostility, anxiety and similar qualities results in “closing off” of the anahata, a constriction of energy flow and resulting in heartache—both emotionally as well as in the form of heart disease.”

So is chugging coffee the solution to preventing heart disease? Probably not alone, but you can feel comforted knowing that if you do have a few a day it might play a small role in keep your heart healthy.