While unable to prove causality, it is intriguing that these three studies suggest that drinking coffee is associated with a decreased risk of heart failure and that coffee can be part of a healthy dietary pattern if consumed plain, without added sugar and high fat dairy products such as cream.

Penny Kris-Etherton, a registered dietitian and immediate past chairperson of the American Heart Association's Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Council Leadership Committee, commenting after AHA published an analysis of three studies, as picked up by CNN for its report, “Black Coffee Can Be Good for Your Heart, Studies Show.”