NIBBLES - vitamin E, calcium, coffee - Brief Article

Nutrition Action Healthletter, Nov, 2000

* In a Finnish study, adults who regularly drank at least four cups of coffee a day had twice the risk of rheumatoid arthritis of those who drank less. In the early 1970s, when the study began, most Finns drank boiled coffee, so it's not clear whether filtered or decaffeinated coffee may also be linked to rheumatoid arthritis.

Ann. Rheum. Diseases 59: 631, 2000.

* Women who consume more vitamin-E-rich foods may have a lower risk of dying of a stroke, but it's not clear whether it's the vitamin E or something else in foods like nuts or full-fat salad dressings that may cut the risk.

Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 72: 337, 476, 2000.

* Taking calcium (500 mg a day) and vitamin D (700 IU a day) for three years improved the bone mass of older men and women. But two years after the study ended, the improvement was largely lost, suggesting that older people who want strong bones shouldn't stop taking supplements.

Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 72: 745, 2000.