Drinking coffee may protect against atrial fibrillation, not trigger it. Patients who consumed at least 1 cup per day had a 39% lower chance of recurrent AFib in the 6 months after undergoing a procedure to restore their normal heart rhythm compared to those who abstained from coffee. Coffee drinkers also had fewer heart-related hospitalizations, and only 47% of them experienced another AFib episode compared to 64% of the coffee abstainers. These findings challenge standard advice for AFib patients to eliminate caffeine. And they complement observational research showing a lower risk of AFib among regular (caffeinated) coffee drinkers.