Toronto (ECN) - People who love their coffee just got a new medical reason to sip it on a daily basis. According to Spanish and American researchers, women who consumed more coffee were more protected against the occurance of a stroke. The more coffee they consumed, the more protected they became.
The research conducted spanned over a quarter century and tracked thousands of women. The study looked at stroke occurance and coffee consumption of the women. The findings also added to the earlier assumptions that coffee consumption would lower the risk of diabetes. Coffee consumption also was found to lower the risk of developing heart disease.
The study, however, also showed that women who were avid coffee drinkers and smoked negated any protection the coffee gave because of their smoking.
Prior to this study, it was long thought that coffee was a trigger for strokes because caffeine raises blood pressure in many people. However, this study has proven that false.
The study consisted of 83,000 women, all of whom had no history of stroke or high blood pressure when the study began. Over the course of the years, there were 2,300 strokes.
Among women who drank 3-4 cups of coffee per day, their risk of stroke was reduced almost 43%. However, among women who drank this much coffee but also smoked, the stroke risk was reduced just 3%.
Researchers do not yet know what component of coffee offers the protection, but they are trying to figure that out right now to further solidify their findings.
The rest of the information about the study can be found in Circulation.
