Coffee can help you live longer (if you’re a woman) … “2 or 3 cups of coffee daily drops death rate among women”
Coffee drinkers tend to have less healthy lifestyles than non-drinkers. A new study accounts for that factor as reported in the June 17 Annals of Internal Medicine. It’s based upon data collected over 18 years that tracked 86,214 female nurses and 41,737 male vets, pharmacists and other health workers. “Researchers found that women drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 25 percent lower death rate from heart disease and an 18 percent lower risk of death from all causes compared with their equally unhealthy peers. The study did not find such differences from men, perhaps because it tracked fewer men for a shorter period of time…” Volunteers who drank decaf had similar death rates, suggesting that caffeine was not responsible for the beneficial effect, and death rates for those who drank higher amounts of coffee didn’t differ significantly.
“Coffee beans are chock-full of antioxidents, chemicals that can protect DNA from damage and promote cell survival. Coffee may also reduce inflammation inside the blood vessels, thereby lowering the risk of heath disease,” said Esther Lopez-Garcia of the Autonomous University of Madrid who was the study leader.
Participants of the study drank primarily filtered drip coffee and past studies have shown how coffee is made may impact the health benefits.
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Science News, Body & Brain, “Good News for coffeeholics” by Tia Ghose, July 5, 2008, pg. 9
