Coffee isn’t a killer, but protects heart

Here’s some good news for coffeebuffs — drinking large amounts ofthe caffeinated concoction doesnot increase the risk of an early death,and, if you are a woman, it may protectyou from developing heart disease.

A new research has revealed thatdrinking up to six cups of coffee a day hasno negative effect on the health of a person and it could reduce the risk ofwomen dying from fatal heart attacks andstroke by almost a quarter.

Researchers have based their findingson an analysis of 84,000 women and41,000 men who were tracked for 20years. The participants completed questionnaires every two to four years abouttheir coffee intake and habits like diet,smoking.

According to study’s author Esther Lopez-Garcia of the School of Medicine at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid inSpain, “Coffee consumption was not associated with ahigher risk ofmortality inmiddle-agedmen andwomen.

“(However) The possibility of a modest benefit of coffee consumption on heart disease, cancer, and other causes of death needs to be further investigated.” The study found that women consuming two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 per cent lower risk of death from heart disease during the follow-up period compared with people who didnot drink coffee, and an 18 per cent lower risk caused by something other than cancer or heart disease.

For men, three cups of coffee daily was not linked with a higher or a lower risk of death, British newspaperThe Daily Telegraphreported. While accounting for other risk factors, such as body size, smoking, diet, and specific diseases, the researchers found that people who drank more coffee were less likely to die duringthe follow-up period. This was mainly because of lower risk for heart disease deaths among coffee drinkers.

The results of the study have been published in theAnnals of Internal Medicine journal.

————————————-

Article from Deccan Herald dated 18th June 2008