Coffee reduces gout risk

Drinking four or more cups of coffee every day helps reduce uric acid levels and the risk of gout. Gout is a painful joint disorder caused by a build up of uric acid in the blood and the formation of uric acid crystals in joints. It affects about 6 million people in the United States, and affects more men than women. Previously the patients at risk for gout were advised to avoid coffee, but researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and Harvard Medical School in Boston analysed what effect coffee might have on the condition. The researchers analysed the data from a U.S. health and nutrition survey between 1988 and 1994. The study is based on a survey of about 50,000 men aged 40 to 75 with no history of gout. They filled out detailed questionnaires about dietary habits, including what they drank. Over the 12 years of the study, during which 757 men developed gout, the risk was lower for those who drank more coffee. It was found that when people drank four to five cups of coffee, there was a 40 percent reduction. Drinking six or more cups resulted in a 50 to 60 percent reduction (in the risk for gout). Men who drank decaffeinated coffee also benefited, but tea appeared to have no effect. The researchers found significantly lower levels of uric acid in the blood of those who consumed large quantities of coffee. The findings suggest that something in the coffee other than caffeine, such as a strong antioxidant could be reducing the uric acid levels. However, coffee is not the answer to treatment of gout. People who drink coffee already and have gout or are at higher risk of developing gout, need not reduce or stop coffee consumption.