For decades, one of the first instructions many people received after an atrial fibrillation diagnosis was to give up coffee. A new commentary published in Cardiovascular Research argues that instruction deserves reconsideration, and it points to randomized evidence rather than to observational patterns.
Christopher Wong and Gregory Marcus, the investigators behind the DECAF trial, reviewed the findings in an article published this week. Among patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter undergoing cardioversion, those assigned to drink at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily had a 39 percent lower hazard of clinically detected recurrence over six months than those assigned to avoid coffee and caffeine, with no difference in adverse events.
