Daily coffee 'lowers stroke risk'
A daily cup of coffee may cut the risk of stroke by a fifth, according to Japanese researchers.
Anti-oxidants in coffee are thought to
help protect against stroke - but too much raises blood pressure, which
increases the risk. Photo: ALAMY
8:00PM GMT 14 Mar 2013
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Green tea could also be beneficial for preventing the devastating event,
caused when a blood vessel in or serving the brain is either blocked or
bursts.
Their study looked at the beverage habits of more than 83,000 healthy adults,
aged 45 to 74, whose health was tracked for 13 years on average.
They found that people who drank at least one cup of coffee a day had about a
20 per cent lower risk of stroke, compared to those who rarely drank it. To
get an equivalent effect, about four cups of green tea a day were required.
The drinks had a greater effect on reducing the chance of haemorrhagic (burst
blood vessel) stroke. Those who drank at least one cup of coffee or two cups
of green tea daily had a 32 per cent lower risk of this type of event.
All results were adjusted to take into account differences between the groups
in age composition, gender, smoking, alcohol, weight, diet and exercise.
Dr Yoshihiro Kokubo, lead author of the study, published in the journal Stroke,
said: “The regular action of drinking tea, coffee, largely benefits
cardiovascular health because it partly keeps blood clots from forming."
Their results for coffee were similar to that of ‘study of studies’, presented at a European conference last May, which found that one to three cups a daily was associated with a 14 per cent reduction.
For three to six cups, there appeared to be a similar although weaker association, but there was no benefit from drinking six or more.
Exactly why coffee and green tea appears to lower stroke risk is unclear, although antioxidants are thought to be at work.
However, the science is by no means cut and dried. Caffeine raises blood pressure, and there have been indications that too much coffee can raise stroke risk because of this.
Dr Dale Webb, from the Stroke Association said: “We welcome this study which suggests that the benefits of antioxidants in coffee and green tea may offset the potential harm from caffeine.
“The results demonstrate higher consumption of green tea and coffee might reduce the risks for stroke, especially for inter-cerebral haemorrhage.
“We would like to see further research to understand the underlying biological mechanisms for these findings.”
Every year about 150,000 people in Britain have a stroke.
Their results for coffee were similar to that of ‘study of studies’, presented at a European conference last May, which found that one to three cups a daily was associated with a 14 per cent reduction.
For three to six cups, there appeared to be a similar although weaker association, but there was no benefit from drinking six or more.
Exactly why coffee and green tea appears to lower stroke risk is unclear, although antioxidants are thought to be at work.
However, the science is by no means cut and dried. Caffeine raises blood pressure, and there have been indications that too much coffee can raise stroke risk because of this.
Dr Dale Webb, from the Stroke Association said: “We welcome this study which suggests that the benefits of antioxidants in coffee and green tea may offset the potential harm from caffeine.
“The results demonstrate higher consumption of green tea and coffee might reduce the risks for stroke, especially for inter-cerebral haemorrhage.
“We would like to see further research to understand the underlying biological mechanisms for these findings.”
Every year about 150,000 people in Britain have a stroke.
