DEAR Dr. Fritz,
Good day. I am a coffee lover. I am also hypertensive. I just wanted to know if there could be a risk of stroke from this drink. What about tea, soft drinks, or alcohol?
Which drink is bad? I raise this question as my friend just had a stroke and died after drinking alcohol and coffee.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
-AL ejf
Dear AL ejf,
Let me discuss with you the interstroke study, which explores the relationship and risk of stroke with coffee, tea, softdrinks, and alcohol. The study reveals that high coffee consumption, which means more than four cups a day was associated with a significantly increased risk for all strokes, while low to moderate coffee had no link to increased stroke risk.
In comparison with tea consumption, this was associated with lower odds of all kinds of stroke.
The recent UK Biobank study reported that consumption of coffee or tea was associated with reduced risk for stroke and dementia, with the biggest benefit associated with consuming both beverages. They found that individuals who drank two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea per day had a 30% decrease in the incidence of stroke and a 28% lower risk for dementia compared to those who did not.
And in a recent systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis, this showed that each daily cup increase in tea was associated with an average 4% reduced risk for stroke and a 2% reduced risk for cardiovascular disease events.
So, what about soft drinks? Data from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study showed a 16% increased risk for stroke with one or more daily servings of sugar-sweetened or low-calorie soda per day against softdrinks that have zero calories.
Opps, we are losing space. Let me continue this the next time. Until then!
-Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist, surgeon, and clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and Medical Acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15-year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.”. For your questions, you may send them to Dear Dr. Fritz, c/o Sunstar Davao Publishing Inc., Door 11, Ebro-Pelayo Building 1, Juan Luna St., Barangay 29-C, Davao City, or e-mail them to dokatlaw@gmail.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)