In June 2008, a group of researchers in Boston reported that regular coffee consumption was not associated with increased mortality rate in either men or women. In their concluding statement within the article (published in the Annals of Internal Medicine) they stated that “the possibility of a modest benefit of coffee consumption, on all-cause and cardiovascular disease related mortality, needs to be further investigated.”
With over 55% of adults estimated to be coffee drinkers in the United States alone and with approximately 60,000 more strokes occurring in women than men annually; the limited number of published studies examining the relationship of coffee to stroke risk surprised researchers.
Members of this group, Lopez-Garcia, Rodriguez-Artalejo, Rexrode, Logroscino, Hu and van Dam, went on to investigate the relationship in particular with women, stroke and coffee consumption. They concluded in early 2009, that long term coffee consumption was not associated with an increased risk of stroke in women but instead, provided a benefit. These results were recently published in the journal Circulation.
Stroke Statistics
National stroke statistics within the United States are as follows:
- Stroke is the third leading cause of death.
- Over 143,579 people die each year from stroke.
- Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.
- About 795,000 strokes occur in the United States each year. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes.
- Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65.
- The risk of stroke more than doubles each decade after the age of 55.
- Strokes can occur at any age; nearly 1/4 of strokes occur in people under the age of 65.
- Twice as many women die of stroke than breast cancer every year.
- Stroke death rates are higher for African Americans than for whites.
Types of Stroke
Strokes are classified into three major types as follows:
Ischemic Stroke
- An ischemic stroke occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the brain becomes blocked (usually by a blood clot).
- Narrowing of the arteries can also cause ischemic stroke, usually caused by artherosclerosis (plaque build up caused primarily by cholesterol mixing with blood clots combined with hardening and/or thickening of the arteries).
Hemorrhagic Stroke
- A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery in the brain bursts (caused by aneurysm or weakening of the arteries)
- High blood pressure increases the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke.
- There are two main types of hemorrhagic stroke (intracerebral hemorrhage - blood leaking into the brain itself) and subarachnoid hemorrhage ( bleeding under the outer membranes of the brain and into the thin fluid–filled space surrounding the brain).
Transient Ischemic Attack
- A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is sometimes called a mini–stroke. It starts just like a stroke but then clears up within 24 hours, leaving no apparent symptoms or deficits.
- A TIA is a warning that the person is at risk for a more serious stroke.
Coffee Consumption Statistics
- Out of the 55% of coffee drinking Americans, 17% of the adult population consumed a gourmet coffee beverage on a daily basis in 2008 (an increase over 2007 at 14%).
- Consumption of cups per day by consumers age 18-24 continued to trend higher in 2008. Young adults who drank coffee consumed an average of 3.2 cups per day as compared with 3.1 in 2007, a significant increase over 2005’s level of 2.5 cups per day.
Coffee and Stroke Study Method
The researchers looked at the data from 83,076 women in the Nurses' Health Study. These women did not have a history of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes, or cancer at baseline.
Coffee consumption was assessed at baseline in 1980 and then every 2 to 4 years through the year 2004.
Coffee and Stroke Study Conclusions
- In this population of women there were 2280 strokes. 426 were hemorrhagic, 1224 were ischemic, and 630 were undetermined.
- Drinking two to three cups per day reduced risk by 19%.
- Women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a 20% reduced risk of stroke compared to women who had less than one cup per month.
- Drinking a cup five to seven times a week reduced risk by 12%.
- The benefits of coffee are incredibly more significant for nonsmokers. For women who had never smoked or quit the habit, drinking four cups or more of coffee a day was associated with an astonishing 43% reduction in stroke risk. For women who smoked, drinking four cups or more was associated with only a 3% reduction in risk.
- Participants who drank tea and caffeinated soft drinks did not experience the same reduction in stroke risk. When discussing this important observance, the researchers commented that the difference can be explained by the action of the antioxidants in coffee itself. These antioxidants lower inflammation and improve blood vessel function.
- Researchers concluded that their data suggests that coffee consumption may modestly reduce risk of stroke.
Additional Sources:
American Heart Association
WebMD
Reuters (2008 Coffee Drinking Data)
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