Headline News

“Drinking caffeinated coffee regularly may lower the stroke risk for women, according to data from the Nurses’ Health Study.

“Women who drank two to three cups a day had a 19% reduction in the risk of all strokes, with greater consumption lowering the risk even further (P=0.003 for trend), found Esther Lopez-Garcia, Ph.D., of the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, and Harvard colleagues.

“The association was weakened after adjusting for high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes, and was not statistically significant among current smokers, the investigators reported in the Feb. 17 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.” (Emphasis added)

To recap for all you Starbucks and French Press lovers:

- Coffee’s benefits are not as great in women who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes.

- Coffee had no statistically-measurable benefit for smokers.

- Coffee is associated with health benefits for women who do not have the three diseases noted above and do not smoke.

Medpage Today

Source:  Medpage Today, February 17, 2009

Citation Source:  Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association, February 17, 2009