Coffee helps prevents gout

A new study finds men can gut their risk of gout, a common kind of arthritis, by half if they drink four or more cups of coffee a day.

Within the first 12 years of the study, 757 of the 45,000 men were diagnosed with gout -- "considered one of the worst types of pain that human beings can experience," according to professor involved with the research. When they subsequently assessed the data -- comparing the dietary habits of men who were and were not diagnosed with the illness -- researchers were able to conclude that participants who regularly drank 4 cups of coffee per day lowered their risk of gout by 40%, while men who drank 6 cups lowered their risk by 60%.

The reason coffee had such a profound effect isn't entirely clear. Caffeine doesn't seem to responsible, as decaffeinated coffee had a similar effect to regular coffee. Scientists suspect, however, that an antioxidant called chlorogenic acid may be the source of the beverage's protective qualities.

Researchers hope, that with this information, they can create a drug that would replicate these health benefits.