A new study confirms that the caffeine in even one cup of coffee a day lowers stroke risk in women by about 25%.
A stroke is the sudden death of a region of brain cells because of a lack of sufficient oxygen.  Strokes are caused by a blockage or rupture of an artery that carries oxygen-bearing blood to the brain.  Strokes can cause damage and abnormal fuctioning of the brain and even death.
This Swedish study followed 35,000 women, ages 49 to 83, for ten years.  The conclusion was that “coffee consumption was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of total stroke, cerebral infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage….”   Although the study refers to coffee, it is clear from the wide range of related studies that it is the caffeine in coffee that is responsible for these benefits to the heart.
Check out this study in the March 10 issue of the American Heart Association’s  journal Stroke.
Men are also protected from the risk of strokes by caffeine, according to a recent University of Cambridge study, reported in 2010 by British scientists at the American Stroke Association’s annual conference.  This study, which followed over 20,000 men and women over a period averaging 12 years, found that subjects who used any amount coffee regularly, no matter how little, had a 27% lower risk of stroke than peoople who never drank coffee.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *