SAN FRANCISCO - For years, doctors have often told patients with a common heart condition known as atrial fibrillation (AFIB) to cut back on or stop drinking caffeinated coffee. However, a new clinical trial suggests that drinking at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily may be associated with fewer recurrences of the condition.

The study, called the DECAF Randomized Clinical Trial, followed 200 adults who regularly drank coffee and had a history of AFIB or a related heart rhythm issue called atrial flutter. The findings were published Sunday in the journal JAMA.

The researchers randomly divided the patients into two groups. One group was encouraged to drink at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily for six months. The second group was encouraged to completely avoid all coffee, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, and other products containing caffeine for six months.

The participants in the coffee-drinking group ended up consuming about seven cups of coffee per week on average, while those in the abstinence group consumed an average of zero cups per week.

The study’s main goal was to track how many people in each group had a recurrence of their heart rhythm issue within the six months. In the coffee-drinking group, 47% of participants had a recurrence of AF or atrial flutter. In the abstinence group, 64% of participants had a recurrence.

This difference suggests that the group drinking at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily had a 39% lower chance of their heart condition returning compared to the group that avoided caffeine.

The study also reported no significant difference in side effects between the two groups. The researchers concluded that among people who had successfully treated their AFIB, drinking an average of one cup of caffeinated coffee a day was linked to fewer recurrences of the heart rhythm problem when compared to avoiding coffee and caffeine.

NOTE: Individuals diagnosed with AFIB or other cardiologist should consult a medical professional before making changes in lifestyle or diet.