gaitAs many of you know I have been studying healthcare , as a researcher, for nearly ten years.

Mainly I look at the ignored of hidden problems which impact people with various different conditions such a multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia.

So I was very interested in a report which dropped into my in-box a couple of days ago.

According to the “European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that consuming more than one cup of coffee per day is associated with better gait – an important health indicator that relates to the risk of falling, morbidity and mortality, and is influenced by the nervous and cardiovascular systems, as well as musculoskeletal structure.

This research which was conducted at the Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, investigated associations of alcohol, coffee and tobacco consumption with gait, using 2546 participants from The Rotterdam Study with a median age of 68 years.”

Co-author Dr. Arfan Ikram said “Until now, research into the impact of coffee consumption on gait has looked at specific groups and has therefore not provided information on the associations of overall coffee consumption with gait. With this study, we wanted to explore the associations of coffee consumption on gait to assess the beneficial, or detrimental, effects of coffee on general health.”

It seems that 1 in 3 people over 65 have a serious fall, mostly in their home. The impact of falls can result in injuries such as hip fractures and head trauma and often begin the end of independent living for many.

The study used a large population-based sample of non-demented participants with a average age of 68 years and includes all patients who underwent gait assessments between March 2009 and March 2012.

Coffee consumption was assessed as part of a food frequency questionnaire. The results showed that consuming more than one cup of coffee daily was associated with better gait when compared to drinking one or less cups of coffee. Consuming one to three cups of coffee daily was associated with higher Pace (or length of stride) and consuming more than three cups daily with better variability in stride length, pace and turning time compared with consuming one or less than one cup of coffee. Such effects may have important implications on the risk of falling in older populations.

To read the study abstract, click here.

Well so far so good. My interest is how does this apply to you especially if you have a condition such as multiple sclerosis does drinking coffee have any effect.

It would be great if you could share in the comments section below.