Hyon Choi, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, CAN, and colleagues found that men who drank four or more cups of coffee a day reduced their risk of gout, a painful joint disorder caused by a buildup of uric acid in the blood. These findings appear in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
In their prospective study evaluating the lifestyles of over 45,000 men, Choi and colleagues found that the risk of developing gout was 40 percent lower for men who drank four to five cups a day
and approximately 60 percent lower for men who drank six or more cups a day compared to men who never drank coffee. Furthermore, parallel findings between these beverages and serum uric acid levels existed according to Choi and colleagues’ companion study published in the June issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Tea had no measurable effect, the researchers explained, but decaffeinated coffee did, suggesting that perhaps a strong antioxidant and not caffeine is the beneficial ingredient.
Choi cautions that people should not drink coffee to treat their gout, but for those at risk for or battling gout, “there is no need to avoid coffee consumption as some guidelines have suggested.”
The National Institutes of Health and TAP Pharmaceuticals funded this research.
