Regular coffee drinkers may face a higher risk of arthritis in
later life as well as the increased possibility of heart disease
and problems caused by excess caffeine.
Scientists have found coffee increased a hallmark early
indicator, called the ``rheumatoid factor.''
Those on four or more cups a day were twice as likely to test
positive for arthritis than occasional drinkers. Anyone putting
down 11 or more cups a day was almost 15 times as likely to develop
rheumatoid factor. The results held true even after adjusting for
factors such as age, sex, smoking and weight.
Researchers from the National Public Health Institute in
Helsinki, Finland, had measured the rheumatoid factor in 7,000
people and checked their coffee habits.
None of a second group of 19,000 people monitored for 15 years
had evidence of arthritis when first tested. The findings showed a
strong association between coffee-drinking and rheumatoid factor.
The authors, writing in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, have
not yet identified the ingredient in coffee, particularly
unfiltered types, that could trigger the production of the factor,
which can precede the development of arthritis by some years.
Most concern about coffee-drinking focuses on its caffeine
content, although evidence suggests it almost certainly does more
good than harm in moderate quantities, improving short-term memory,
boosting muscle power and increasing alertness.
The question drinkers want answered is: How much is too much?
Doctors are uncertain and the best advice is obvious but dull -
moderation is the key.
