Coffee again!

Yet another study has come out that supports drinking regular coffee. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006;83(5):1039-46), Dr. Lene Frost Andersen and colleagues studied the relationship between coffee drinking and diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer (other than skin cancer), Parkinson's disease, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver, and diabetes. These diseases have a strong inflammatory component, and coffee is known to be a major source of antioxidants in the diet.

Participants in this study were 27,312 postmenopausal women between 55 and 69, without cardiovascular disease or other inflammatory diseases, who were followed for 15 years.

What they found is consistent with previous studies: the more coffee a participant drank, the lower the total death rates for all studied causes. This remained true even after controlling for age, smoking, and alcohol intake, even though women who drank more coffee tended to smoke and drink more.

Interestingly, they found that total mortality and death from cardiovascular disease increased the more sugar-sweetened beverages a participant drank per day. Indeed, drinking more than 2.5 sugar-sweetened drinks per day showed a significantly higher death rate from cardiovascular disease. No relation, however, was seen with diet drinks.

What this means for you

Antioxidants like those found in coffee clearly protect you from illness and death in combination with exercise and a healthy diet. Put down the sugared sodas and drink coffee instead.

First posted: May 12, 2006