Four or more cups a day can stop painful joint disorder caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood. It affects about 6 million people and tends to be a bigger problem for men than women.In the past, patients at risk for gout were advised to avoid coffee, but Dr Hyon Choi of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues at Harvard Medical School in Boston wanted to see just what effect coffee might have on the condition.  The study is based on a survey of about 50,000 men aged 40 to 75 with no history of gout. They filled out detailed questionnaires about dietary habits, including what they drank.Over the 12 years of the study, during which 757 men developed gout, the risk was lower for those who drank more coffee, Choi reported in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.   research found that when they are drinking four to five cups of coffee, there was a 40-percent reduction. Drinking six or more cups resulted in a 50- to 60-percent reduction (in the risk for gout).Men who drank decaffeinated coffee also benefited, but tea appeared to have no effect.                                  Â
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