Can Atrial Fibrillation Patients Drink Coffee? New JAMA Study Overturns Old Beliefs: One Cup a Day Cuts Recurrence Risk by 39%

 Atrial fibrillation (AFib) — the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia — affects more and more people every year. It’s estimated that about one in three people will experience it at some point in their lives. Coffee, on the other hand, is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and has long been labeled a “forbidden drink” for AFib patients. Many believe it can trigger arrhythmia, and doctors have traditionally advised patients to limit their intake.

However, a groundbreaking new study just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on November 9, 2025, by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, challenges this long-standing belief — suggesting that AFib patients may no longer need to give up their daily cup of coffee.

Before this study, the link between coffee and AFib had been hotly debated. Some recent observational studies suggested that coffee drinkers didn’t have a higher risk of AFib — and might even have a lower one — but such studies were often influenced by confounding lifestyle factors, making their conclusions less convincing. The traditional view held that caffeine in coffee could trigger irregular heartbeats and provoke AFib episodes.

To get a more accurate answer, the research team conducted a prospective randomized clinical trial from November 2021 to December 2024 across five hospitals in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The study recruited 200 adult participants who either currently drank coffee or had done so in the past five years. All participants had either persistent AFib or atrial flutter with a history of AFib and were scheduled to undergo electrical cardioversion treatment.

The 200 participants (average age 69, 71% male) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio into two groups for six months:

• The coffee group, encouraged to drink at least one cup of caffeinated coffee per day.

• The abstention group, instructed to completely avoid caffeinated coffee, decaf coffee, and all other caffeine-containing products.

Before the study began, both groups drank an average of seven cups of coffee per week. During follow-up, the coffee group maintained this intake, while the abstention group completely avoided coffee.

The results were surprising: after six months, the recurrence rate of AFib or atrial flutter was 47% in the coffee group, compared with 64% in the abstention group — a 39% reduction in recurrence risk among coffee drinkers. When looking specifically at AFib recurrence alone, the protective effect remained similar. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in adverse events between the two groups, indicating that moderate coffee consumption is safe for these patients.

Why might coffee help protect against AFib recurrence? The researchers proposed three main reasons:

1. Caffeine acts as a diuretic, helping to lower blood pressure — and high blood pressure is a major trigger for AFib.

2. Coffee has anti-inflammatory properties, which may reduce systemic inflammation and cardiac irritation.

3. Habitual coffee drinkers may also consume fewer sugary or unhealthy beverages, indirectly lowering AFib risk.

However, it’s important to note that the study’s findings apply only to people who already had a habit of moderate coffee consumption — about one cup per day on average. The research compared “continuing to drink” versus “complete abstinence.” Therefore, the results shouldn’t be generalized to heavy coffee drinkers or those consuming caffeine from other sources like energy drinks, which can still pose health risks when taken in excess.

For both AFib patients and clinicians, this study carries major implications. It dispels the long-standing myth that “coffee triggers AFib” and shows that moderate caffeinated coffee consumption is not only safe but may actually lower recurrence risk.
In short — AFib patients no longer need to give up coffee entirely. As long as they limit themselves to around one cup a day, they can enjoy both the flavor and the potential heart-protective benefits of coffee.