A common form of inflammatory arthritis, gout usually strikes people in their large toe. Men are affected by the disease more often then women.
Research leader Dr. Hyon Choi told Canada.com "coffee intake may be beneficial in the prevention and management of gout... I guess the main message is that if you are a coffee drinker, and may be at risk of gout, then don't stop drinking - but that doesn't mean you should start drinking lots of coffee to avoid gout."
The data come from two studies that Choi was involved in. The first was a 12-year study on nearly 46,000 males; the second looked at 14,000 men and women over a 6 year period. In both studies uric acid levels were measured.
Results showed that tea did not have an effect on reducing gout, but decaffeinated coffee consumption did have a favorable effect on risk reduction. This indicates that it is unlikely that the caffeine in the beverage that is keeping uric acid levels down.
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. About half the American population indulged in it at about 2 cups per day.
The research can be found in the June issue of Arthritis Care and Research.
