Dr. Ann asks: Is coffee healthy?

Are you a java lover? If you love your morning cup of coffee, you’ll love this news.

Coffee is on a roll with yet another powerful study extolling its health virtues. The results of the largest study to date examining the relationship between drinking coffee and heart disease, as well as the risk of death, will perk you right up!

The study included almost a half million adults (both with and without heart disease), whose coffee drinking habits and health were monitored during a 10-year period. The following outcomes were noted:

• Those with and without heart disease who regularly drank coffee were less likely to have a cardiovascular event and less likely to die versus those who abstain from coffee.

• Those who consumed two to three cups of regular coffee per day saw the greatest benefits, including a lower risk of heart arrhythmias.

• Interestingly, even in participants with known heart problems, there was not a greater risk of heart rhythm issues regardless of how much coffee was consumed. What’s more, those with heart rhythm issues who drank coffee were less likely to die than those who didn’t drink coffee.

The lead researcher commented, “Daily coffee intake shouldn’t be discouraged but rather included as part of a healthy diet for people with and without heart disease.”

The results: Coffee is healthy

These results are not at all surprising to me. Coffee contains more than 100 bioactive compounds, including high doses of those wondrous polyphenols. Polyphenols exhibit broad-spectrum protection at the cellular and even the genetic level, quieting inflammation and activating longevity genes, among other benefits.

The bottom line: Enjoy your java

If you enjoy your java like I do, shoot for two to three 6-ounce cups (the standard measurement of a cup) rather than a typical mugful of regular coffee (not decaf). There were no benefits noted for decaffeinated coffee in this evaluation.

Dr. Ann Kulze is founder and CEO of Just Wellness and has a knack for breaking down the science of healthy eating and living into simple and easily digestible messages. She has been featured on “Dr. Oz,” “Oprah and Friends,” WebMD and in U.S. News & World Report. Alabama NewsCenter is publishing advice from Dr. Ann.