FOLLOW THE SCIENCE: Doctors “Astounded”: Long-Held Belief About Coffee and Heart Rhythm Was Wrong. “Although people with heart conditions such as A-Fib are often told to avoid caffeine because it might worsen symptoms, new research suggests the opposite may be true. . . . The research team titled their project DECAF, short for Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation? It is the first randomized clinical trial designed to examine the relationship between caffeinated coffee and A-Fib. The study received support from the National Institutes of Health.”