Drinking Coffee Reduces Risk Of Stroke, Cancer And Dementia

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It's indeed a pleasant surprise when something questionable turns out to be full of health benefits. First, chocolate was found to prevent heart disease. Then red wine was shown to increase overall longevity. Now the spotlight is on coffee. New studies reveal that coffee drinking lowers risk of stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. It even improves social skills and depressive symptoms. Other recent research has shown that drinking coffee reduces the risk of diabetes.

Changing the rules

After years of hearing that we shouldn’t drink coffee at all, or we should only drink two cups a day, (and those two cups should be decaf) now we’re told that we should drink coffee every day to reduce the risk of stroke. And it’s not just one cup a day, but two to four cups according to the latest study.

US researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health assessed the association between coffee consumption and the risk of stroke over a 24 year period of follow-up in women. They analyzed data from 83,076 women without history of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes or cancer who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. Coffee consumption was assessed from 1980 through 2004. They documented 2280 varied strokes.

The study showed that women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a 20 per cent reduced risk of stroke compared to women who had less than one cup per month. Drinking two to three cups per day reduced risk by 19 per cent. Drinking a cup five to seven times a week reduced risk by 12 per cent.

However lead researcher of the study, Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia also added: ‘The beneficial effects of coffee can only be applied to healthy people,’ she said. ‘Anyone with health problems that can be worsened by coffee (insomnia, anxiety, hypertension, or heart problems) should talk to their doctor about their specific risk.’

More research reveals more benefits

Newer studies continue to add impressive results to older studies, revealing more benefits of coffee.

Drinking two or more cups a day was found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25 per cent. The likelihood of developing gallstones was decreased by nearly 50 per cent in those drinking at least two cups of coffee a day. Liver cirrhosis was reduced by a whopping 80 per cent in drinkers of two or more cups a day. A compound found in coffee called Trigonelline, (that has anti-adhesive and antibacterial properties) was also found to help prevent tooth decay.

• · Reduced risk of cancer

The January issue of International Journal of Cancer published a hospital-based case-control study that examined the associations between endometrial cancer risk and usual consumption of regular and decaffeinated coffee among 541 women with endometrial cancer and 541 healthy women. Women who drank four or more cups of combined coffee and tea significantly reduced their risk of cancer.

A Japanese study of 61,000 people found that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop liver cancer than those who abstain. The researchers hypothesized that chlorogenic acid (an antioxidant) was the cancer fighting agent. Robusta coffee (grown in western and central Africa) contains up to ten per cent chlorogenic acid, and Arabica coffee contains up to seven per cent.

Caffeic acid is another antioxidants found in coffee that has been shown to protect cells from oxidation. Caffeic acid works together with chlorogenic acid to protect cerebral neurons, promote cell differentiation, and normalise colon function. The combination of these to antioxidants has been found to be effective in halting cell proliferation and inducing appropriate cell death in breast cancer cells.

• · Protection against Alzheimer's disease and dementia

In a Finnish study, scientists looked for the association between coffee and/or tea drinking at midlife and Alzheimer's disease or dementia in late life.

After an average follow-up of 21 years, 1409 individuals aged 65 to 79 completed the re-examination. A total of 61 cases had dementia, with 48 having Alzheimer's disease. The study showed that coffee drinkers at midlife had a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's later in life compared with those drinking none or only small amounts of coffee.

An amazing 65 per cent decrease in risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease was found in people who drank 3 to 5 cups of coffee per day. Tea drinking showed no association with dementia or Alzheimer’s' in this study.

The American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, reported on a study that found that caffeine might have a protective effect on the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease. In this particular study the antioxidants (chlorogenic acid) in coffee were shown to reduce inflammation and therefore offer protection.

• · Lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes

An older study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that habitual coffee consumption was consistently associated with lower risk of diabetes. Although the exact mechanism of its action was not revealed, the scientists concluded that the antioxidants in coffee help control cell damage that can contribute to the development of the disease. The high concentration of chlorogenic acid in coffee reduces glucose concentrations. The researchers pointed out that their results were not due to caffeine, as decaffeinated coffee produced the same degree of risk reduction.

In a report that combined data from several sources, people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day had a 28 per cent reduction in risk of diabetes compared with people who drank two or fewer cups a day. Those who drank even more had a 35 per cent reduction.

• · Coffee increases teamwork and sociability, and decreases depression

A newly released study as published in the February issue of Nutrition and Neuroscience examined the effects of caffeinated coffee on social behaviour. Seventy-seven low level caffeine users took part in a randomised, double-blind, cross-over study of a single dose of caffeinated coffee and a single dose of decaffeinated coffee with a three day period in between. Participants were asked to play a game with an imagined person. After drinking caffeinated coffee, participants were more open to the imaginary player and displayed fewer signs of sadness. The researchers concluded that only the caffeinated coffee helped to improve social skill and depressive symptoms.

Longitudinal studies have found a significantly lower rate of suicide among men and women who drink two or more cups of coffee each day. Reasons for this were unclear.

Whilst the research is compelling and all of this is great news for coffee lovers, it's not such good news for those who get the shakes after a cup or two. One must also keep other things in mind when having your daily brew. The quality of the coffee you’re drinking should be carefully considered, instant coffee will certainly not have the same health benefits as freshly ground slowly brewed coffee. Adding milk and sugar to your ‘cup of joe’ will surely compromise the quality of the coffee and possibly the health benefits you can get from it. Obviously, discretion is key in the amount of coffee one should or could drink. Be sure to check with your health care provider before making such a drastic change in your coffee drinking habits.