Study shows coffee lowers heart risk but not cancer deaths

By Angela Haupt, USA TODAY
 
Drinking up to six cups of coffee a day may lower the overall odds of  
dying prematurely, mainly because it cuts the risk of dying from heart  
disease, a study released today suggests. But the study found that heavy
 coffee drinking doesn't cut your chance of dying from cancer.
"Our results suggest that long-term, regular coffee consumption has  
several beneficial health effects," says Esther Lopez-Garcia, lead  
author of the Harvard School of Public Health report.  
 
The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examines the  
relationship between coffee and mortality. It is based on the coffee  
drinking habits of 41,736 men and 86,216 women with no history of  
cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer. The men were followed for 18  
years, the women for 24 years.
 
The results show that as coffee consumption increases, the overall  
risk of death decreases. The association is explained mostly by a  
decrease in CVD deaths, Lopez-Garcia says. Women who drank two to  
three cups of coffee a day, for instance, had a 25% lower risk of  
dying from heart disease than non-drinkers.
 
"Coffee has some beneficial effects on inflammation and endothelial  
function, which are the first stages of CVD development," Lopez-Garcia  
says.
 
No connection was found between coffee consumption and cancer deaths,  
however. "More studies are necessary to confirm this lack of effect,"  
she says.
 
Researchers warn that the study does not prove a cup of joe is linked  
with long life. A factor other than coffee could be protecting  
participants, Lopez-Garcia says. A measurement error also could be  
possible, because consumption levels were self-reported.
 
"More research is necessary to be able to recommend consuming coffee  
on a health basis," she says. "Our study is not enough to make such a  
statement."
 
The findings suggest that a component other than caffeine explains the  
relationship between coffee and a lower risk of death, Lopez-Garcia  
says. Participants who drank both decaf and caffeinated coffee had lower
 death rates than non-drinkers.  
 
Some experts still warn, however, that caffeine can lead to  
detrimental short-term health effects, such as anxiety and sleep  
problems.
 
"If you want the best of both worlds, drink decaf — avoid the  
caffeine and get the good stuff," says longtime coffee researcher  
Terry Graham of the University of Guelph in Canada.  
 
Past research has produced mixed results on the health effects of  
coffee, but most experts agree coffee is safe and even healthful.
 
In 2000, researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that coffee intake was  
linked with decreased rates of Parkinson's disease. In 2004, Harvard  
researchers reported that it significantly reduced the risk of  
developing type 2 diabetes. And a 2005 study found that coffee could  
help prevent the most common type of liver cancer, according to the  
Journal of the National Cancer Institute.  
 
Karen Collins, a nutrition adviser with the American Institute for  
Cancer Research, says the key to coffee's health benefits is its  
antioxidants.
 
"Coffee drinkers who were scared off years ago by reports that it  
poses a health threat have no reason to be afraid," she says. "But  
people also shouldn't be saying, 'I'll just have some coffee today  
instead of my fruits and vegetables.' "