Drinking 2-3 Cups of Coffee Daily Linked to Lower Atrial Fibrillation Risk: Study

Could drinking two to three cups of coffee daily help lower the risk of atrial fibrillation? A large new study suggests that moderate coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart rhythm disorder, while the potential benefits of tea appear less consistent.

Published in the journal Food & Nutrition Research, the study conducted by researchers from Zhengzhou University, its First Affiliated Hospital and Peking University in China investigated the relationship between tea and coffee consumption and atrial fibrillation risk.

Researchers analysed data from 495,269 participants in the UK Biobank, with an average age of 57 years, who were followed for a median period of 13 years.

Participants reported their daily consumption of tea and coffee, which was categorised into four groups ranging from no consumption to four or more cups daily.

During the follow-up period, 37,261 participants developed atrial fibrillation.

The findings revealed that coffee drinkers had a 7% to 11% lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation compared with individuals who did not drink coffee.

Importantly, the strongest association was observed among participants consuming two to three cups of coffee daily.

Researchers also found that drinking two to three cups of tea per day was associated with approximately a 5% lower risk of atrial fibrillation.

However, the associations for tea were less consistent at other consumption levels, and increasing intake beyond three cups did not produce progressively greater benefits.

The researchers accounted for several factors, including age, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and underlying cardiovascular conditions.

The observed associations were generally similar across different age groups, sexes, smoking categories and BMI levels.

However, the study was observational and could not establish that coffee or tea consumption directly prevents atrial fibrillation and further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and confirm these associations.

REFERENCE: Liang R, Zhang Z, Bo Y, Guo J (2026). Association of coffee and tea consumption with the risk of atrial fibrillation: a prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank. Food & Nutrition Research, 70. DOI: 10.29219/fnr.v70.14612