A previous study found that consuming 5 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with increased incidence of heart failure (HF). We sought to evaluate this association in a larger population.

We measured coffee consumption using food frequency questionnaires among 37,315 men without history of myocardial infarction, diabetes, or HF. They were observed for HF hospitalization or mortality from January 1, 1998, until December 31, 2006, using record linkage to the Swedish inpatient and cause of death registries. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, dietary, and demographic factors were used to calculate incidence rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

For 9 years of follow-up, 784 men experienced an HF event. Compared to men who drank ≤1 cup of coffee per day (unadjusted rate 29.9 HF events/10,000 person-years), RR were 0.87 (95% CI 0.69-1.11, unadjusted rate 29.2/10,000 person-years) for 2 cups/d, 0.89 (95% CI 0.70-1.14, unadjusted rate 25.1/10,000 person-years) for 3 cups/d, 0.89 (95% CI 0.69-1.15, unadjusted rate 25.0/10,000 person-years) for 4 cups/d, and 0.89 (95% CI 0.69-1.15, unadjusted rate 18.1/10,000 person-years) for ≥5 cups/d (P for trend in RR = .61).

This study did not support the hypothesis that high coffee consumption is associated with increased rates of HF hospitalization or mortality.