If you are a coffee drinker this is probably the study you will want to read and share with others.
We all know that coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world but some new research suggests it could be good for your health.
Data on coffee and reducing the risk of stroke has been all over the place, some suggesting a benefit while others suggesting no effect.
The purpose of the most recent study published in Nutrition Journal was to determine the risk of stroke in a Korean population who consume coffee.
Here are the study details:
- Study design: large scale community based prospective cohort study
- Subjects: 173,357 people included 667 with a stroke diagnosis and 23,715 with a family history of stroke.
Here are the main results:
- Higher coffee consumption (Greater than 3 cups per day) was associated with a 38% lower odds ratio for stroke in women.
- A further evaluation suggested more of a benefit in younger, non-obese (i.e. BMI >30), normal blood pressure, no diagnosis of diabetes, non-smokers and non-alcoholic drinkers.
- No benefit was observed in men
Take away message: Most surprising in this study was the benefit of reducing stroke was only observed in women. Further research is needed to understand how coffee could be beneficial for preventing strokes in women. Coffee contains many antioxidants which may be one part of reducing the risk of stroke. If coffee is not your thing, don’t forget tea including green tea and black tea is a great alternative. In fact one study over 25 years reported that higher intakes of epicatechin, which is found in green tea, can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Other benefits of tea include weight loss which we have described here and here.
Reference: Relationship between coffee consumption and stroke risk in Korean population: the Health Examinees (HEXA) Study. Nutrition Journal 2017 Volume 16:7
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Heart, High Blood Pressure, Plant Medicine