Coffee may protect people against irregular heartbeats, US study finds

Trial's findings go against common beliefs that people with atrial fibrillation should avoid caffeinated coffee

Drinking coffee may protect people against irregular heartbeats, despite the conventional wisdom to the contrary, according to a new study.

The Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation (Decaf) clinical trial found 200 patients with persistent irregular heartbeats had a significantly" lower risk of the condition recurring if they belonged to the study group that was allocated coffee consumption rather than the one abstaining from it - 47% to 64%.