Coffee could reduce stroke risk in women

Summary of story from ABC News, 11.3.11

Good news for all you caffeine addicts, women who drink several cups of coffee a day may be less likely to have a stroke.

A recent study, published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, revealed that women who drank more than one daily cup of coffee had a 25 percent lower risk for stroke than other women.

Though more studies are needed before doctors start writing coffee prescriptions, Susanna Larsson, lead author of the study, said this shows that coffee doesn’t cause harm.

The study began in 1997 by enrolling 34,000 women between ages 49 and 83 and followed their health for 10 years.

Other studies have found similar results. Research published in Circulation in February 2009 found that four cups of coffee a day reduced women’s risk for stroke by 20 per cent.

But doctors are warning that none of the research is definitive. “All of these are studies of association, and do not prove that drinking coffee prevents stroke,” said Dr. Larry Goldstein, director of the Duke Stroke Centre.