OSLO, Norway--Researchers from the University of Oslo and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, report intake of coffee is inversely related to mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other inflammatory disease, possibly due to the actions of antioxidants on inflammatory parameters. They published their findings in the May issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (83, 5:1039-46, 2006).
Exploring the relationship between coffee drinking and total mortality and mortality attributed to CVD, cancer and other inflammatory diseases, researchers followed total of 41,836 postmenopausal women aged 55 to 69 at baseline for 15 years, primarily studying disease-specific mortality. After exclusions for CVD, cancer, diabetes, colitis and liver cirrhosis at baseline, 27,312 participants remained. The data on these subjects revealed hazard ratios of death attributed to CVD was 0.76 for consumption of one to three cups of coffee/d, 0.81 for four to five cups/d, and 0.87 for six or more cups/d. Similarly, the hazard ratio for death from other inflammatory diseases was 0.72 for one to three cups/d, 0.67 for four to five cups/d, and 0.68 for six or more cups/d.
The researchers concluded consumption of coffee, a major source of dietary antioxidants, may inhibit inflammation and, thereby, reduce the risk of CVD and other inflammatory diseases in postmenopausal women.
