People who drink a moderate amount of coffee are less likely to develop clogged arteries that could lead to heart attacks, according to new study published in the Health journal.
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The study, which assessed 36 separate studies into the health impacts of coffee, found those who drink between three and five cups of coffee a day were less likely to have clogged arteries than those who do not drink coffee.
The study was conducted by international researchers in South Korea, who examined the link between coffee and the presence of coronary artery calcium - an early indicator or coronary atherosclerosis.
However, Heart Foundation ACT chief executive Tony Stubbs said Canberrans should continue to drink coffee in moderation and not increase their intake for sake of avoiding heart disease.
"If you want to reduce your risk then having three to five cups of coffee is probably not your number one priority," he said.
"Not smoking, having a balanced diet and exercising are the key things that help prevent heart disease.
"The key thing to remember is that a moderate intake of coffee is probably OK for you, and additional risks can be avoided by following our recommendations of smaller sizes, having no sugar and low fat or skim milk."
The study assessed more than 25,000 Koreans who had no signs of heart disease and found the prevalence of coronary artery calcium was 13.4 per cent overall.
Those who drank less than one cup of coffee a day had a calcium ratio of 0.77, while those who had between one and three cups ranked at 0.66.
Participants who drank between three and five cups of coffee a day had the lowest calcium ratio of 0.59 per cent.
The researchers said there was a growing body of research suggesting coffee consumption might be inversely associated with cardiovascular disease risk, but more research into the relationship was needed.
Mr Stubbs said heart disease was the biggest killer of men and women in the ACT and claimed the life of an Australian every 26 minutes.
"This is only a one off study and the authors themselves have concluded further research was needed to establish why this was the case," he said.
"There is potentially a link there and more research needs to be done to make it more conclusive."
The Heart Foundation has launched a public campaign to encourage Canberrans to drink their coffee with skim or skinny milk and in smaller cups.
Nerida Volker, a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Canberra, said many Canberrans did not consider beverages in their daily nutrition intake.
"While coffee itself is not high in kilojoules or fat, the way we drink it often is," she said.
"If you regularly drink a large latte made from full cream milk, it could contain 1100 kilojoules and 13 grams of fat. And this could be contributing to an expanding waistline."
