Drinking up to five cups of caffeinated coffee a day is generally safe for most adults and may be associated with a reduced risk of several cardiovascular diseases, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).
The document was published on July 20, 2026, in the scientific journal Circulation. Its authors analyzed the results of studies on the effects of caffeine on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart rhythm, and the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes.
For most adults, consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is considered safe. This corresponds to approximately three to five standard cups of black coffee, each about 240 ml. However, the actual caffeine content can vary significantly depending on the type of coffee beans and the method of preparation.
According to the AHA, drinking two to four cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. In some studies, the lowest risk of coronary heart disease was observed in people who drank two to three cups a day.
Regular consumption of coffee without sugar, syrups, or cream is also associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, researchers emphasize that the benefits may be due not only to caffeine but also to other bioactive compounds in coffee that possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Adding large amounts of sugar, sweet syrups, cream, and other additives can reduce the beverage’s potential benefits. The authors of the review also do not recommend extending the findings about coffee to energy drinks. High doses of caffeine and the additional ingredients in energy drinks can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart rhythm disturbances.
The method of coffee preparation also matters. Unfiltered coffee—including espresso, French press coffee, and Turkish coffee—contains cafestol, which may contribute to an increase in levels of so-called “bad” cholesterol. When a paper filter is used, the content of this substance is significantly reduced.
However, experts do not consider five cups to be a one-size-fits-all recommendation for everyone. The response to caffeine depends on age, genetics, metabolic rate, medications taken, and overall health. For some people, even a small amount of coffee can cause a rapid heartbeat, anxiety, high blood pressure, or sleep disturbances.
Most of the data analyzed comes from observational studies, so while they show an association, they do not prove that coffee itself directly prevents disease. The American Heart Association notes the need for additional randomized controlled trials.
Source: ScienceAlert
American neurologists have introduced the Brain Care Score, an interactive questionnaire that helps assess brain health and determine what lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of stroke, dementia, and depression.
Aording to the description provided by the developers at the McCance Center for Brain Health (Massachusetts General Hospital), the scale is 21 points and takes into account 12 modifiable factors – from blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels to nutrition, sleep, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, stress, social connections and “meaning/purpose in life.” .
The effectiveness of the approach was evaluated using UK Biobank data: in a study of nearly 399,000 participants, a higher Brain Care Score was statistically associated with a lower risk of dementia and stroke at a median follow-up of 12.5 years (in particular, a 5-point increase was associated with a reduction in risk across different age groups).
Employee health and mental well-being, as well as attracting and retaining top talent, have risen from third to second and from sixth to fourth place in the list of key challenges facing companies over the past six months, according to a survey of its members by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Ukraine.
According to the survey, 70% of respondents mentioned health and psychological issues, up from 65% six months ago, and 56% of top employees, up from 43%.
Employee safety and security remains a key challenge, but its “rating” has dropped from 91% to 85%, while Russia’s missile attacks on critical infrastructure and business assets have dropped from 66% to 61%, moving it to third place.
The challenge of economic and consumer recession has also dropped to fifth from fourth, but 54% of respondents mentioned it, compared to 45% six months ago.
While in early fall, the top five expected problems were access to electricity, water and heat supply, and mobile communications with a 44% share, now it is not even among the top 11.
At the same time, logistics and transportation problems have become a concern for 43% of respondents, up from 30% six months ago, regulatory challenges – 39% instead of 23%, and pressure on business from government agencies – 28% instead of 23%.
Among the top three priority steps that businesses would like to see the government take, the top three are real and effective judicial reform (22%), ensuring a clear and transparent booking procedure (22%), and strengthening national security and defense and de-mining of Ukraine (21%).
Less frequently, company representatives chose to ensure predictability and stability of tax legislation (14%), protect supply chains by addressing the situation with border logistics and maritime transportation (7%), ease currency restrictions on repatriation of dividends and/or payment of interest on foreign loans (6%), and expand insurance coverage of political risks (3%).
According to the survey, 86% of companies are fully operational, 12% of the surveyed companies continue to operate partially, and 2% do not operate at all, while 84% were fully operational six months ago.
58% of all respondents had no damage to their property during the two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 7% had their assets occupied, and 30% had their companies’ plants/factories/ facilities/warehouses/offices damaged: 75% of them have minor damage, 25% have irreparable damage.
According to the survey, 84% of AmCham member companies in Ukraine have employees in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 31% of companies, employees were wounded, 29% were killed in action, and 2% were missing.
“Despite the difficulties, the business community, inspired by brave defenders, continues to work and believe in Ukraine, supporting the economy, paying taxes and creating jobs for Ukrainians. 86% of member companies are fully operational after two years of full-scale war in Russia. Security and judicial reform are the highest priorities for business,” commented AmCham President Andy Hunder.
The survey, conducted from February 12-22, 2024, involved 125 CEOs and top managers of AmCham member companies.
Within the first competitions of the NEXT Romania-Ukraine cross-border communities development program for the period 2021-2027, 120 projects with a non-refundable value of EUR87 million have been submitted, according to the project’s press service.
The press service of the Romanian Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration told Interfax-Ukraine that the submitted projects include 153 partners from Romania and 158 from Ukraine.
The Interreg NEXT Romania-Ukraine program has a budget of EUR54 million in grant funds, to which the national contribution will be added. Projects that will benefit border communities in Satu Mare, Maramures, Botosani, Suceava and Tulcea counties (Romania), as well as in Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattya, Chernivtsi and Odessa regions (Ukraine) will be eligible for funding.
According to the press service, a call for standard projects (projects with an infrastructure component of at least EUR500,000) was announced in August 2023. EUR12.6 mln allocated for this competition will be used for investments in healthcare and education. Within the framework of the competition 49 projects were submitted, the grant value of which is EUR60 mln.
The Small Projects Competition was launched in September 2023. This competition has a budget of EUR14.5 million, which will be directed to measures on climate change prevention and control, biodiversity conservation, health, education and border management. Seventy-one projects were submitted, with a total value of EUR27 million in grant funds.
According to the press service of the Romanian Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, the most applications – 29 standard and 13 small – were submitted in the direction of ensuring equal access to health care and increasing the sustainability of health care systems, including primary health care, as well as promoting the transition from institutional to family-based care.
The second most popular focus area is educational. 20 standard and 17 small projects were designed to improve equitable access to inclusive and quality education, training and lifelong learning services through the development of accessible infrastructure.
15 small projects focused on improving the protection and conservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas; 13 small projects focused on disaster risk prevention, strengthening resilience through ecosystem approaches.
Border crossing management was addressed by 13 small projects submitted.
The projects will be subjected to an evaluation and selection procedure in the following period.At this stage, a detailed analysis of the submitted projects is underway and the results of the selection process will be presented tentatively in early summer, with contracts ideally signed by the first quarter of 2025, but “the actual duration of the process will also depend on the quality of the applications submitted and the number of clarifications required”.
All submitted projects will go through two stages of evaluation: eligibility and quality. Applications that pass all these stages will be subject to approval by the Monitoring Committee (a joint structure composed of members from both countries).
Funding will be awarded to projects that best meet the requirements of the Applicant’s Guidelines and that will actually contribute to community development in the border region.
Interreg NEXT, the EU’s cooperation programs with neighboring regions, comprises 184 regions with a population of 260 million people in 33 countries and is located along the EU’s external borders from the northern periphery to the Mediterranean region and from the Atlantic to the Black Sea basin.
Interreg NEXT cooperation programs for the period 2021-2027 include EUR1.1 billion from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA).
CLIMATE CHANGE, cross-border communities, EDUCATION, HEALTH, Interreg NEXT
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Kocia said Thursday that President Recep Erdogan’s health is fine, Turkish media reported.
“I was with him this morning. He is fine. The effects of the infection he contracted have diminished,” the minister wrote on social media.
For his part, Fahrettin Altun, head of the Turkish presidential administration’s communications department, denied reports about Erdogan’s serious condition that appeared earlier in the media, and said that the Turkish leader continues to work.
“The opposition is trying to gain political advantage by spreading unfoundedly distorted information even about our president’s health condition. Our president continues to serve with great strength, health and energy,” Anadolu quoted Altun as saying.
The agency recalls that the day before the Center to Combat Disinformation of the Communications Department denied reports in some social media accounts that Erdogan “had a heart attack and was hospitalized. According to the center’s statement, they do not reflect the truth.
Turkish and foreign media reported that Erdoğan felt unwell during an interview on Tuesday night, for which he had to interrupt his live broadcast. Allegedly, it was an acute digestive disorder.
“There was quite intense campaign work yesterday and today, and because of this work, my stomach got sick,” Erdoğan explained on Tuesday.
Because of his health problems, Erdogan cancelled campaign events that were scheduled for Thursday. At the same time, Anadolu writes that the president cancelled plans to rest after a number of his campaign events.
All health care institutions in Ukraine must register and start working in the electronic health care system (EHS) by March 31, 2022.
As the Ministry of Health reminds on its website, this is stipulated by the licensing requirements for economic activities in medical practice and applies to all business entities.
In particular, the Ministry of Healthcare specifies that all legal entities carrying out medical practice business activities must be registered in EHS, except for entities engaged in business activities in the forensic medical areas.
In particular, the Ministry of Health notes that laboratory institutions, sanatoriums, and educational institutions that provide medical care within the institution should be registered in the EHR.
“The full transition to digital recording of all medical records will occur gradually and will involve additional changes in other regulatory and legal acts,” the department notes.
