Coffee is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances on the planet, yet despite more than two billion cups being drunk each day, its impact on heart health remains surprisingly complex – and often misunderstood. It’s been blamed for heart palpitations, anxiety and poor sleep, while at the same time praised for helping to deliver focus, better moods and lower chronic disease risk. In 2025, a handful of new studies helped us cut through the noise when it comes to the heart, chronic disease and mortality. Randomized trials, imaging tools and biochemical analysis also helped us get a clearer understanding of coffee’s power.One study challenged long-held assumptions about caffeine and irregular heart rhythms, while another showed how something as simple as a paper filter can change cholesterol impact and lower cardiovascular risk. And a third found a correlation between protection from chronic disease and when in the day you imbibed. At a time of the year when we might be upping our caffeine intake to deal with the holidays, we thought it would be fitting to revisit these three excellent studies on coffee. One study this year challenged long-held beliefs about coffee and heartbeatsNathan Dumlao/Unsplash World-first findings on coffee and irregular heartbeatUniversity of Adelaide and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers led a randomized clinical trial of 200 adults from Australia, the US and Canada with atrial fibrillation (AF) to test coffee’s impact on irregular heartbeats. Over six months, 100 of the participants consumed at least one cup of coffee or an espresso shot each day, while the other half abstained from all types of caffeine. At the end of the trial, those who continued caffeinated coffee experienced a 47% recurrence rate of AF or atrial flutter, compared with 64% in the caffeine-abstinent group, translating to about a 39% lower risk of recurrence for coffee drinkers. There were no significant differences in adverse effects between the groups. This is the first randomized clinical evidence suggesting moderate coffee consumption may protect against the return of AF – a result that counters decades of conventional advice to avoid caffeine for people with irregular heart rhythms.”The results were astounding,” said first author Professor Christopher X. Wong from the University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital. “In contrast to conventional wisdom, we found the coffee drinkers experienced a significant reduction in AF compared to those who avoided coffee and caffeine.”This is surprising as it goes against the common assumption by doctors and patients that coffee worsens heart rhythm disorders such as AF. Doctors have always recommended patients with problematic AF minimize their coffee intake, but this trial suggests that coffee is not only safe but likely to be protective.”The research was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. This year we learned how differen Read More