Coffee May Protect Against Stroke

In that some published studies have suggested a link between coffee consumption and reduced incidence of stroke, Susanna C. Larsson, from the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), and colleagues investigated this association utilizing data collected on 34,670 women enrolled in the Swedish Mammography Cohort study.  Coffee consumption was assessed in 1997 using a self-administered questionnaire, and incident stroke cases were ascertained from the Swedish Hospital Discharge Registry. The researchers found that those women who drink coffee daily are at a reduced risk for stroke , with the risk being 22% lower with one to two cups a day and 25% lower with three to four cups a day.  Noting that antioxidant polyphenols and other compounds in coffee may boost endothelial function, cut down on inflammation, and improve insulin sensitivity, the team concludes that: “These findings suggest that low or no coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of stroke in women.”