Coffee 'healthy' for 50+ women

A 15 year study published in the American journal of clinical nutrition showed fewer deaths from heart disease and other noncancerous inflammatory diseases for postmenopausal women who reported drinking at least one to three cups of coffee daily.

Coffee is a major dietary source of antioxidants, which may curb inflammation and heart disease, reported the journal, which in the same breathe said however, that the findings needed to be researched further.

The study conducted by researchers from the nutrition department at Norway's University of Oslo, included 27 312 postmenopausal women who took part in the Iowa women's health study.

When the study began in 1986, participants were 55-69 years old and hadn't been diagnosed with any conditions relating to heart disease, diabetes, or cancer (except for skin cancer).

The women completed a 127-item survey about their daily coffee consumption, cigarette and alcohol use, and other health habits (including diet and exercise). None of the women were asked to drink more or less coffee - or change anything else in their lives - for the study's sake.

They were followed for 15 years. During that time, a total of 1 411 participants died of heart disease, 1 733 died of cancer, and 1 211 died of other diseases.

The women who had reported drinking one to three daily cups of coffee (or more) at the study's start were less likely to have died of heart disease or other inflammatory diseases (but not cancer) during the study.

Women who reported drinking one to three daily cups of coffee at the study's start were 24% less likely to die of heart disease during the study, compared to those who didn't drink coffee.

The study also showed that women who reported drinking one to three daily cups of coffee at the study's start were also 28% less likely to die of other noncancerous inflammatory diseases.

The study reported finding no association between cancer and coffee consumption.

The results were adjusted for other factors and "were not repeated for other beverages, including tea, fruit juice, sugar-sweetened drinks, diet soda, and skim, low-fat, and whole milk," reported the study.

The researchers call for caution in interpreting the results explaining that the study doesn't prove that coffee consumption was solely responsible for the findings.

The data also doesn't show antioxidant levels in the women's coffee.

The researchers said results are consistent with a protective effect of intake of one to three cups of coffee per day on total death and death from cardiovascular and other inflammatory diseases in a group of postmenopausal women.