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Recent studies reveal conflicting picture
Two new studies just released are reporting two different sides of the coffee coin, especially for women drinkers. One study suggests that caffeine may lower the risk of ovarian cancer. In a different study it was revealed that coffee consumption doubles the chances of miscarriage.
The research was published in two different medical journals, but both add to the increasing evidence that the amount of caffeine that an idividual consumes has a greater impact on personal health than was previously beleived.
In the journal Cancer, Shelley Tworoger of Harvard Medical School wrote: "With regard to caffeine and caffeine-containing beverages, we generally observed a lower risk of ovarian cancer with increasing intake".
Although the researchers do not know the actual scientific explanations behind the benefits of caffine and pointed out that further work was needed to discover the "whys" and "hows", nonetheless, the connection was found. Data was analyzed from health questionaires from more thatn 121,000 women aged 30-35 in a study conducted in Utah.
Smoking or drinking alcohol (either currently or in the past) did not seem to effect overall ovarian cancer risk, except in one very rare form.
The more total amount of caffeine and coffee that a women drank, the risk for ovarian cancer appeard to decline. Decaffeinated coffee had no apparent benefit.
One the other side of the coin however, caffeine appears harmful for pregnant women. A different group of researchers reported that pregnant women who drink tow or more cups of coffee a day have twice the risk of having a miscarriage as those who avoid it.
Dr. De-Kun Li, of Kaiser Permanete Division of Research, reported that "Women who are pregnant or are actively seeking to become pregnant should stop drinking coffee for three months or hopefully throughout pregnancy". Li's study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
This increased risk was related directly to the caffeine as opposed to simply coffee... there was an increased risk irregardless of where the caffeine came from, like soda, tea or hot chocolate.
The thinking goes that caffeine should be avoided because it stresses the fetus' immature metabolism and decreases the blood flow in the placenta. Both are harmful to the fetus.
Utlimately, women with child should avoid caffeine.
