Daily Coffee May Reduce AFib Recurrence, Study Finds
NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 9, 2025 – Adults treated for atrial fibrillation (AFib) who drank a daily cup of coffee were 39% less likely to have an irregular heart rhythm episode compared to those who avoided all caffeinated products, according to a new study. The preliminary late-breaking science was presented today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025. The meeting, Nov. 7-10, in New Orleans, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research adn evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science.
“We conducted this study to assess whether caffeinated coffee increased or decreased the risk of AFib. Participants were randomly assigned to continue drinking at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily or to avoid any caffeine for 6 months,” said study lead author Christopher X.Wong, M.B.B.S., M.Sc.,M.P.H., Ph.D., formerly of the University of California, San Francisco, and currently professor of cardiology at the University of Adelaide in Australia.
The Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation (DECAF) trial enrolled 200 adults diagnosed with AFib who experienced an irregular, fast heart rhythm and were about to be treated with cardioversion therapy, using medication or an electrical shock to restore a normal rhythm.Participants reported that they typically drank about one cup of caffeinated coffee per day, and they agreed to follow the researchers’ advice on caffeine for 6 months after the cardioversion therapy. Half of the participants were randomly chosen to continue drinking at least one cup of coffee daily, and the other half were instructed to avoid all caffeine.
During the 6-month study:
* The coffee group maintained their pre-enrollment habit of drinking about 1 cup of coffee a day, while the no coffee group reported that they consumed no caffeine each day.
* 47% of the participants in the coffee group had a recurrent AFib or atrial flutter (rapid but regular heartbeat) episode lasting more than 30 seconds,compared with 64% of the no-caffeine group,representing a 39% lower risk among the coffee drinkers.
* Similar reductions in risk were found when only AFib episodes (excluding atrial flutter episodes) were considered.
“Our study results suggest that caffeinated coffee may not be responsible for raising the risk of AFib and may even reduce it,” said senior study author Gregory M. Marcus, M.D., M.A.S., a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
This study enrolled only people who already drink coffee,so future studies might investigate whether AFib episodes are reduced in people who start drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages for the first time.
Research Highlights:
* During the 6 months after treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm, adults with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who were randomly assigned to drink coffee every day were 39% less likely to have a recurrence of AFib compared to participants assigned to not have any coffee or other caffeinated drinks.
* The results of the 200-person trial may challenge the common belief that caffeine may spur more abnormal heart rhythms such as AFib.
* Researchers say it is reasonable for health care professionals to let their AFib patients try naturally caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee if they enjoy them. However,some people may still find that caffeine,including caffeinated coffee,may trigger or worsen their AFib symptoms.
* Note: This trial is simultaneously published today as a full manuscript in the peer-reviewed scientific journal JAMA.
As the study participants consumed about one cup of coffee pe
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