Although an extra cup of coffee may make you feel like your heart is racing, researchers have found that drinking more coffee on a daily basis reduces your chances of dangerous irregular heartbeat, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.

The study included 130,054 adults who drank four or more cups of coffee per day. The results showed that compared to non-coffee drinkers, they lowered their risk of being hospitalized for irregular heartbeats by 18 percent. Researchers also concluded that even those who drank a lower amount of coffee (1-3 cups a day) were still 7 percent less likely to have irregular heartbeats.

The benefits and dangers of coffee have been in debate for a long time. Arthur Klatsky, cardiologist and lead investigator in the study, told Bloomberg that most people have nothing to worry about.

“People who are moderate coffee drinkers can be reassured that they are not doing harm because of their coffee drinking,” Klatsky said.

Cardiac rhythm disorders affect about 2.7 million Americans yearly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atril fibrillation is the most common disorder, which produces a rapid, irregular heartbeat.

“We shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that there is a protective effect of coffee, although the study suggests there might be,” Klatsky said.

The American Heart Association will include this study in their conference on cardiovascular disease March 5th in San Francisco.

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