If you can’t make it through the day without your daily caffeine hit, here’s some good news for you – drinking two to four cups of coffee a day could significantly reduce your risk of a stroke.
The study, led by scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, delved into the already divided debate among health experts on whether coffee can have health benefits.
The comprehensive research, which involved half a million people studied from the mid 1960s to 2011, discovered that people who drank two cups of coffee a day, reduced their risk of a stroke by 14%. Furthermore, big coffee drinkers, who downed up to four cups a day, were 17% less likely to suffer from a stroke or blood clots.
It’s believed that the antioxidants found in coffee act as a powerful preventative towards the build-up of lipoprotein in the brain, or in non-science speak, ‘bad cholesterol’, which can cause blood clots.
Interestingly, the good antioxidants are only found in coffee (even decaffeinated coffee) and aren’t present in other caffeinated drinks such as tea.
But before you put the kettle on, the researchers from the study warned that overdoing the coffee guzzling with six cups a day (or more) can bring stroke reduction rates down to 7%, so it’s advised to drink in moderation.
The study also warned that the coffee debate hasn’t been completely concluded and that excessive coffee drinking can risk the chances of high blood pressure. “Coffee is a complex mixture of substances that may have both beneficial and harmful effects,” a scientist from the study has said.