14 DAY TRIAL // Coffee is one of the most widespread beverages on earth, coming in thousands of variations and combinations. In the past, it was linked to heart disease and blood pressure issues, but also believed to protect against gout, liver disease and memory loss. Now, a recent study comes to show that three cups of coffee a day can also protect women against stroke – but only if they have no other health issues.
Researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, where the study was performed, analyzed the drinking habits of 83,000 women, whose lives they tracked for 24 years. The findings seem to indicate that the more coffee these women drank on a daily basis, the lower the risk of them having a stroke was. Thus, females who had only five to seven cups a week, had 12 percent less chances of getting a stroke.
The difference was, though, impressive when it came to daily intake, with a 19 percent reduction of the risk for those who drank two to three cups a day, and a 20 percent one for those who had four or more cups daily. Nevertheless, researchers warn, this does not apply to all women. For instance, those who have a history of heart disease or blood pressure problems should avoid drinking that much coffee, because it will have the exact opposite effect.
The findings of the study were all the more surprising as researchers started it with the idea to prove that coffee actually increased the chances of having a stroke. Moreover, they say, while the study has only taken females into account, it’s very likely that the theory also applies to men. But, they hold, people should not be tempted to believe that it’s the caffeine in the coffee that protects them against stroke.
“Antioxidants in coffee can lower inflammation and improve blood vessel function.” Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia, lead author of the study, underlines. Oppositely, the same study shows that other caffeine-laden drinks like tea do not have the same positive effects – while decaffeinated coffee does.