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Study: Drinking 3 Cups Of Coffee A Day Could Be Good For Heart

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Attention coffee addicts -- new research finds drinking three cups of coffee per day could be good for your heart.

While many researchers say caffeine can cause heart problems, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute of Melbourne released a study that suggests it may do the opposite.

The study found that drinking up to three cups of coffee a day could protect people from developing arrhythmia, or irregular heart beats. Arrhythmia causes the heart to beat too fast, slow or at a jagged pace.

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According to the study, a single cup of coffee contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine.

The study monitored how caffeine intake effects atrial and ventricular heart beat rhythms.

The test included a large population and the results suggest that drinking up to 300 milligrams of caffeine a day may be safe for arrhythmic patients, but individual differences are possible.

"Caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea may have long term anti-arrhythmic properties mediated by antioxidant effects and antagonism of adenosine," said Dr. Peter Kistler, director of electrophysiology at Alfred Hospital and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, and the study's lead author. "In numerous population-based studies, patients who regularly consume coffee and tea at moderate levels have a lower lifetime risk of developing heart rhythm problems and possibly improved survival."

Researchers noted that energy drinks should still be avoided by patients with current heart conditions. One energy drink can contain up to 500 milligrams of concentrated caffeine.

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