Study pumps relief into the heart disease and coffee discussion

The results of a new study should provide ample relief for coffee-loving women who are worried about heart disease. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study, whose test subjects are from the Nurse’s Health Study, followed almost 12,000 U.S. nurses with a history of heart disease or stroke for about 20 years. The researchers found that there was no link between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease in the coffee drinkers — not even in those who imbibed four or more cups a day. Lead study author Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia of Spain’s Universidad Autonoma de Madrid told Reuters, “[These] results suggest that coffee drinking is OK for patients with cardiovascular disease, but it would be desirable to replicate our results in other populations.”

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross pointed out that, comforting as this study is, “Perhaps we shouldn’t extrapolate these results to all women, because nurses may have a healthier lifestyle in general. Overall, it would seem that coffee itself does not pose a health threat, even to those with a history of cardiovascular disease.”