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• Re: Coffee or decaf?
  Markku Heliovaara
  Published on: 23 October 2000
• Coffee or decaf?
  Susan E Grober
  Published on: 23 October 2000

• Published on: 23 October 2000

  Re: Coffee or decaf?

  • Markku Heliovaara

  Dear Editor:

  The surveys were conducted in 1970s. At that time the majority of Finns drank traditional boiled coffee. The use of decaffeinated coffee was exceptional. In the Mini-Finland Health Survey, there was a negative correlation between daily cups of tea and coffee (age and sex adjusted partial r= -0.30, p...

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  Dear Editor:

  The surveys were conducted in 1970s. At that time the majority of Finns drank traditional boiled coffee. The use of decaffeinated coffee was exceptional. In the Mini-Finland Health Survey, there was a negative correlation between daily cups of tea and coffee (age and sex adjusted partial r= -0.30, p<_0.001. however="however" tea="0.91," consumption="consumption" showed="showed" no="no" association="association" with="with" the="the" presence="presence" of="of" rheumatoid="rheumatoid" factor="factor" age="age" and="and" sex="sex" adjusted="adjusted" odds="odds" ratio="ratio" per="per" one="one" cup="cup" _95="_95" confidence="confidence" interval="0.73-1.13)" did="did" not="not" confound="confound" results="results" we="we" reported.p="reported.p"/>Unfortunately we had no information on the consumption of colas, but according to indirect information on sales of cola beverages the contribution of caffeine from this source was minimal in Finns at that time.

  Markku Heliövaara
  Kimmo Aho
  Paul Knekt
  Antti Reunanen
  Arpo Aromaa
  National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

  Olli Impivaara
  Social Insurance Institution, Research and Development Centre, Turku, Finland

  Correspondence to: Dr Markku Heliövaara, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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• Published on: 23 October 2000

  Coffee or decaf?

  • Susan E Grober, Research psychologist

  Dear Editor:

  This potentially valuable information about a relationship between coffee consumption and the presence of the rhematoid factor is difficult to evaluate because of a lack of clarity in definitions. What is meant by "coffee"? Is coffee, caffeinated or decaffeinated? This is an obvious distinction that readers need to consider these findings.

  Also, it would have been interesting to have information ab...

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  Dear Editor:

  This potentially valuable information about a relationship between coffee consumption and the presence of the rhematoid factor is difficult to evaluate because of a lack of clarity in definitions. What is meant by "coffee"? Is coffee, caffeinated or decaffeinated? This is an obvious distinction that readers need to consider these findings.

  Also, it would have been interesting to have information about other beverage consumption, such as colas and/or teas which may or may not have affected or clarified the results which, currently, have no theoretical underpinnings. However, the information is an exciting start to understanding factors that contribute to this disabling and prevalent illness.

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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