Tuesday, May 30, 2006


women love coffee; coffee loves women

"a 15-year study published in the american journal of clinical nutrition shows fewer deaths from heart disease or other noncancerous inflammatory diseases for postmenopausal women who reported drinking at least one to three daily cups of coffee.

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 with those who didn't drink coffee.

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, compared with those who didn't drink coffee, the study shows. cancer deaths did not show any association with coffee consumption.

those results are 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,' write A[the study's authors]."

while of course scientists will want to confirm this, the study looks solid -- published in a highly regarded, peer-reviewed journal and containing 27,312 participants. we coffee-lovin' yoginis have to remember that heart disease is the major killer of post-menopausal women; if coffee-drinking can help somewhat, that's great news.

women's heart disease is often ignored and undertreated, or so medical studies have revealed. while a lot of press goes to other worthy women's health issues, like breast cancer, heart disease can't be swept under the rug.

a sensible diet, a regular vigorous yoga practice, and now perhaps moderate coffee consumption, seem to help. but don't load your cups up with heavy cream and sugar!

how might coffee help?

as devoted readers know -- and as long-time bccy pal dr. joe vinson reminds us -- it always seems to come back to those groovy anti-oxidants in coffee. remember, coffee has many natural phytochemicals, such as chlorogenic acid, that appear to have beneficial anti-oxidant properties.

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posted by fortune | 8:21 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments