Coffee Lowers Gout Risk

those who drank six cups a day or more -- had nearly a 60% lower
risk of gout.

Caffeine, whether from coffee, tea, or both, was not related to gout risk.
Tea, it turned out, did not decrease gout risk.

But decaffeinated coffee did have an effect, although it wasn't as large as
the effect of the high-test brew. Men who drank one to three cups of decaf had
a 33% lower risk of gout. Those who drank four cups of decaf a day -- or more
-- had only a 27% lower gout risk.

It's not clear why coffee lowers gout risk. Choi and colleagues note that
coffee is a major source of a strong antioxidant, phenol chlorogenic acid, that
may affect gout risk.

"Our findings are most directly generalizable to men age 40 years and
older (the most gout-prevalent population) with no history of gout," Choi
and colleagues suggest.

It's not yet known whether women who drink coffee are at lower risk of
gout.

The findings appear in the June 2007 issue of the journal Arthritis &
Rheumatism.

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By Daniel DeNoon
Reviewed by Louise Chang
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