Coffee and Atrial Fibrillation: True or False?

July 24, 2018

Does caffeine increase or decrease the risk of new onset AF? Find out with our T/F quiz on results of a new meta-analysis.

Reference:Â Abdelfattah R, Kamran H, Lazar J, Kassotis J. Does caffeine consumption increase the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation? Cardiology. 2018;140:106-114.Â

Authors of a recent meta-analysis set out to determine, with greater assurance than historic results provide, whether caffeine is associated with increased risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Abdelfattah and colleagues suggest that theirs is the first meta-analysis to standardize caffeine intake across the included studies-thus providing greater reliability.

The 6 true/false statements in the slides above are based on the study background and results. What really is true about the link between coffe and AF?

Question 1. True or false? Studies have shown that caffeine triggers AF via neurohormonal and sympathetic nervous system activation.

Answer: B. False. While caffeine is thought to trigger AF via neurohormonal and sympathetic nervous system activation, studies have not confirmed this.

Question 2. True or false? Coffee consumption is linked to increased risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Answer: B. False. Coffee consumption has been linked to decreased risk for all 5 of these conditions.

Question 3. True or false? Research shows that moderate caffeine intake (400 mg/day) does NOT increase arrhythmia risk acutely in healthy individuals.

Answer: A. True. Research has shown that moderate caffeine intake-400 mg daily-does NOT increase arrhythmia risk acutely in healthy individuals.

Question 4. True or false? For purposes of this analysis, the caffeine content of an average 12-oz cup of coffee was estimated to be 180 mg.

Answer: B. False. An average 12-oz cup of coffee was estimated to contain 140 mg of caffeine.

Question 5. True or false? Patients who drank ≥4 cups of coffee/day had a lower risk of developing new onset AF vs controls (<2 cups/day).

Answer: A. True. The analysis found that the risk of new onset AF was lower in those who drank ≥4 cups of coffee/day vs those who drank <2 cups/day.

Question 6. True or false? No significant difference in AF incidence was seen for <2 cups of coffee/day vs >2 cups of coffee/day.

Answer: A. True. Study found no significant difference in incident AF with coffee intake of <2 cups/day vs >2 cups/day.