(MENAFN) A daily cup of coffee may shield against atrial fibrillation (AF), a dangerous irregular heartbeat linked to heart failure, stroke, and early mortality, groundbreaking research has revealed.

Scientists have identified an unexpected cardiovascular protector in coffee consumption, according to a statement released Monday by Australia's University of Adelaide, which partnered with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the United States to conduct the study.

In the first randomized clinical trial examining the relationship between coffee and AF, researchers determined that AF patients who consumed at least one cup of coffee or espresso shot a day had a 39-percent reduction in the risk of a recurrent AF episode than those who avoided caffeine altogether, the statement said, adding the six-month trial followed 200 AF patients from Australia, the United States and Canada.

"This is surprising as it goes against the common assumption by doctors and patients that coffee worsens heart rhythm disorders such as AF," said the study's first author, Christopher X. Wong, a professor of the University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital.

"Based on these results, coffee-drinking patients with AF can safely continue to enjoy their coffee. Furthermore, it may be worth investigating whether AF patients who don't drink coffee should actually consider starting," said Wong.

AF disrupts the heart's ability to pump blood effectively, elevating dangers of blood clots and stroke.

"Coffee increases physical activity which is known to reduce AF. Caffeine is also a diuretic which could potentially reduce blood pressure and in turn lessen AF risk," said the study's senior author Gregory Marcus, a professor from the Division of Cardiology at UCSF.

Multiple additional compounds in coffee possess anti-inflammatory characteristics that could yield beneficial outcomes, Marcus said, adding the study should change the medical advice given to patients.

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