I just returned from Israel and frankly would not be able to function without a caffeine push. To add to my thanks for that cappuccino (or 2) is a new study that appeared in the journal Stroke. (Yes, there are journals that are titled for diseases.) Researchers at the very well known Karolinska Institute in Stockholm followed 35,670 women (ages 49 to 83 years) who did not have a history pf cardiovascular disease or cancer over a 10 year period of time. (These women were actually participating in the Swedish Mammography Cohort study looking at links between diet, lifestyle and disease.) They assessed coffee consumption using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire made no distinction between caffeinated and decaffeinated cups of coffee, but it is well known (reference The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as well as the other novels by Steg Larsson) that decaffeinated consumption of coffee in Sweden is low.
The researchers found that 1 to even more than 5 cups of coffee a day lowered risk for stroke, cerebral infarction (lack of oxygen and death of the tissue from an occlusion of an artery) as well as sub arachnoid hemorrhage by 25%! The amount of coffee did not seem to make a difference; it just had to be a daily beverage. And when they took into consideration smoking, weight, history of diabetes, hypertension and alcohol consumption, the decrease in stoke incidence was still there if coffee was consumed on a regular basis. Wow! This doesn’t mean that the latter factors are not important…but even if they exist, coffee appears to decrease the risk of those women who are at risk.
The authors of the study suggested that coffee drinking reduces stroke by decreasing mild inflammation, acting as an antioxidant and improving insulin sensitivity. Right now, I just want it to keep me awake!