Coffee lowers risk for gout
A few days back, I’ve listed some of the health benefits and risks of coffee intake. An addition to its benefits was found out by a study conducted by a group of researchers from the University of British Columbia and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The findings were based on a study of more than 45,000 men over 12 years.
According to the study, men who drink a lot of coffee may lower their risk of developing the painful inflammatory disease gout.
Although few would suggest that men live awash in coffee, which could have its own health consequences, the researchers found that the more their study subjects drank, the less likely they were to develop the disease.
Gouty arthritis attacks has a sudden onset. Excessive levels of uric acid caused these attacks and the disease condition itself. Accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints causes these attacks.
Men who drank four to five cups of coffee a day, the study found, had a 40 percent lower risk of gout than those who drank none. The risk was 59 percent lower in men who drank six or more cups a day.
The researchers said that coffee has tendency to lower uric acid levels in the blood. Caffeine does not appear to play a big role, but other components in coffee may be affecting insulin levels, they said.
Source: NYTimes Health
