Coffee reduces stroke risk in women: another reason to have another cup? Photo: Getty
If you can't quit your morning coffee habit, perhaps it's a habit that's worth keeping. It may, for instance, reduce your risk of having a stroke - that's if you're a woman and you drink more than a cup of coffee a day, say researchers writing in the journal Stroke.
Compared to women who drink no coffee or less than a cup a day, women who drink anything from one to two or even five or more cups a day have between 22 - 25% less risk of stroke, the experts suggest.
The 10-year study, carried out in Sweden, investigated the association between diet, lifestyle and the development of disease and involved almost 35,000 women. Out of those women, 1,680 had strokes. But when the researchers came to look at how drinking coffee affected the women's risk of stroke, they discovered those who drank more than a cup a day had a statistically significant lower risk.
The reason, say the researchers, could have something to do with the fact that coffee might reduce oxidative stress and improve insulin sensitivity.
It is, however, good news for anyone who feels guilty about having that second (or third) cup in the morning.
"Some women have avoided consuming coffee because they have thought it is unhealthy," says Susanna Larsson, the study's lead author. "In fact, increasing evidence indicates that moderate coffee consumption may decrease the risk of some disease such as diabetes, liver cancer and possibly stroke."
Are you a tea or a coffee person?