Coffee lowers the risk of heart failure and stroke

A PLANT-based diet and drinking coffee may both help to reduce the risk of heart failure, say scientists.

One study of five different kinds of diet found that people who ate a lot of fruit and vegetables were 42pc less likely to develop the condition than those who consumed fewer plant-based foods.

Another team showed that increasing coffee consumption by one cup per week reduced the risk of heart failure by 7pc and stroke by 8pc.

Findings from both studies were presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions meeting in Anaheim, California.

The five diet types assessed in the first study were classified as “convenience” (red meats, pastas, fried potatoes, fast foods), “plant-based” (dark leafy vegetables, fruits, beans, fish), “sweets” (desserts, breads, sweet breakfast foods, chocolate, candy), “southern” (eggs, fried food, organ meats, processed meat, sugarsweetened drinks), and “alcohol/salads” (salad dressings, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, butter, wine).

Scientists recruited 15,569 participants for the diet study, with their health monitored for four years.

Lead researcher Dr Kyla Lara, from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said: “Eating a diet mostly of dark green leafy plants, fruits, beans, whole grains and fish, while limiting processed meats, saturated fats, trans fats, refined carbohydrates and foods high in added sugars, is a heart-healthy lifestyle and may specifically help prevent heart failure.”

The study was carried out using an artificially intelligent machine-learning system.