Excess coffee linked to arthritis risk

Regular coffee drinkers may face a higher risk of arthritis in later life as well as the increased possibility of heart disease and problems caused by excessive caffeine.

Scientists have found that coffee increases a hallmark early indicator, called the "rheumatoid factor."

Those putting away four or more cups a day are twice as likely to test positive for arthritis than occasional drinkers.

And anyone consuming 11 or more cups a day is almost 15 times as likely to develop the rheumatoid factor.

The results held true even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, smoking and weight.

Researchers at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland, measured the rheumatoid factor in 7000 people and checked their coffee habits.

None of a second group of 19,000 people monitored for 15 years had evidence of arthritis when first tested.

The findings showed a strong association between coffee-drinking and the rheumatoid factor.

The authors, writing in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, have not yet identified the ingredient in coffee, particularly unfiltered types, that could trigger the production of the factor, which can precede the development of arthritis by some years.

Most concern about coffee-drinking focuses on its caffeine content, although evidence suggests it almost certainly does more good than harm in moderate quantities, improving short-term memory, boosting muscle power and increasing alertness.

The crucial question drinkers want answered is: how much is too much?

Doctors are uncertain and the best advice is obvious but dull - moderation is the key.

- INDEPENDENT