Coffee Does a Girl Good

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Yes, of course we know life is not fair - for both sexes. Scan the news and easy examples explode off the page - er, the computer screen - to support your claim of being mistreated. But, what happens when the culprit is the scientist? Hmm...

A new study points to the beneficial nature of coffee consumption - if you're a woman. Sorry guys, no love for you today. The study analyzed the data from over 84,000 women, who had participated in the Nurses' Health Study, and almost 42,000 men who had participated in the Health Professional Follow-up Study.

The participants, who were all free of cancer and heart disease at the onset, completed a baseline questionnaire. They then completed new questionnaires every two to four years, answering lifestyle and health related questions.

The women fared quite well.

The analysis showed that women who drank coffee had a lower risk of death. Those who drank two to three cups each day were 25 percent less likely to die from heart disease than their abstaining counterparts. They were also 18 percent less likely to die from any cause during the follow-up period, which covered a span of 24 years. Those are impressive figures.

The men, though they thoroughly enjoyed their java, reaped no such benefit. The analysis showed no difference in the risk of death between the partakers and the abstainers.

Of note is the fact that caffeine seems to be a non-factor. The researchers found no difference between the effect of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

So - if you're a woman - enjoy. If you're a guy, well - you know the old saying about life and fairness...

To read more about the study, see this from ScienceDaily. To read more about coffee, see this from National Geographic.