Four cups of coffee a day keeps gout at bay

London, Sep 10 (ANI): A new research have revealed that four cups of coffee a day can more than halve the risk of gout in women.

Researchers found that women who drink that amount or more were 57 per cent less likely to suffer from a gout attack than those who drank none.

Two to four cups lowered the chances of gout by about 22 per cent but one a day only by three per cent.

Researchers from Boston University and Harvard Medical School conducted a long-term study of almost 90,000 female nurses in the U.S.

They tracked the nurses over a 26-year period, monitoring their health and dietary habits.

During that time almost 900 of the nurses developed gout.

When researchers analysed their beverage intake they found those consuming-large amounts of coffee over a long period of time were least prone.

The reason for this is unknown, however, one theory is that it can lead to lower insulin levels in the blood.

"Long-term coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of gout in women," the Daily Mail quoted the researchers as saying.

The findings support the results of similar research, published in 2007, which showed that coffee appeared to protect both men and women against gout.

Some studies point to gout as an early warning sign of heart disease.

Researchers have found middle-aged men with the ailment tend to have higher blood pressure, raised cholesterol and diabetes.

The findings appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (ANI)