Coffee doesn't appear to raise heart attack risk Study of older women in Sweden says java might even be protective

Anthony Bolante / Reuters file Studies?xamining a link between coffee drinking and heart attack risk have produced mixed results overall.

NEW YORK - Drinking coffee does not appear to increase the risk of heart attack, according to a study of older Swedish women, and it may even be protective.

Several studies have examined ties between coffee consumption and risk of heart attack, but results have been mixed. Some studies have suggested a harmful effect of coffee consumption on the heart, whereas others have shown no link.

In their study, Dr. Sarah Rosner of Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues examined the effect of coffee consumption on the risk of heart attack in 32,650 Swedish women ages 40-74.

The women were participating in a study initiated between 1987 and 1990. During an average follow-up of 5.1 years, 459 heart attacks occurred. Of these, 391 were nonfatal and 68 resulted in death.

In analyses adjusting for possible confounding factors, the team found that women who drank 5 or more cups of java per week had a 32 percent reduced relative risk of having a heart attack compared with women who drank 0 to 4 cups per week, although this did not reach statistical significance.

Overall, there was "a non-significant trend toward lower risk with higher consumption levels," the investigators report.

There are "several plausible biologic mechanisms" by which coffee may reduce risk of heart attack, Rosner's team explains. "Coffee contains phenolic compounds, which are known antioxidants and may reduce oxidative stress," they note. Additionally, coffee has been shown to improve the body's use of insulin and may protect against type-2 diabetes.