gout

Drinking 2 to 4 cups of coffee every day declined the chances of suffering from gout by almost 22 percent, while 1 cup a day reduced it by only 3 percent.

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

The study looked at 90,000 female nurses in the United States.

The health and dietary habits of the nurses were tracked over a 26 year period by the researchers.

Results of the study
By the end of the study period, almost 900 of the nurses had developed gout, the study claimed.

Gout is caused by the presence of excessive uric acid in the bloodstream. It usually causes no harm but sometimes the condition may result in the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. These crystals can cause a gout attack.

The most common symptoms of a gout attack include a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and sharp pain in your big toe.

If you are overweight, drink too much alcohol and consume too much meat and fish, your chances of having a gout attack increases, according to WebMD.

Technique involves implanting capsule under skin

The condition is more common in men, and is known to significantly increase their risk of heart attack. However, little has been investigated about the impact of gout on women’s heart health.

This study is the first such attempt to gauge heart disease risk for women with the condition.

Details of the study
To reach this conclusion, researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine examined data derived from the Canadian British Columbia Linked Health Database, involving 9,500 gout patients, and 48,000 people without the disease, aged 65 and older.