EDMONTON, Alberta, Aug 26, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Alberta researchers have
found women who don't drink coffee can still get as much buzz and heart benefits
from a cup as regular drinkers.
University of Alberta in Edmonton researchers compared how 10 women who drank
caffeine daily and 10 "caffeine-naive" women who drank less than two servings
per week matched up in heart rate, blood pressure, alertness and the ability to
perform a tough mental test after drinking a 350-milliliter-sized coffee. The
results were summarized in a Tuesday press release and are being fully published
in the latest edition of Nutrition Research.
"The take-home message for women is that whether you are hooked on caffeine or
not, if you need a boost, coffee improves your mental alertness and can have a
calming effect on your heart rate," said Michael Kennedy, a professor in
exercise physiology on the University of Alberta's Faculty of Physical Education
and Recreation, lead author on the study.
The only cautionary note from the study came in findings that some regular
coffee drinkers began with significantly higher blood pressure, suggesting
possible long-term impacts from caffeine.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International