Background and Purpose—Coffee and tea consumption could potentially reduce the risk of stroke because these beverages have antioxidant properties, and coffee may improve insulin sensitivity. We examined the associations of coffee and tea consumption with risk of stroke subtypes.

Methods—We used prospective data from the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, a cohort study of 26 556 male Finnish smokers aged 50 to 69 years without a history of stroke at baseline. Coffee and tea consumption was assessed at baseline using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. During a mean follow-up of 13.6 years, from 1985 through December 2004, 2702 cerebral infarctions, 383 intracerebral hemorrhages, and 196 subarachnoid hemorrhages were ascertained from national registries.

Results—After adjustment for age and cardiovascular risk factors, both consumption of coffee and tea was statistically significantly inversely associated with the risk of cerebral infarction but not intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage. The multivariate relative risk of cerebral infarction for men in the highest category of coffee consumption (8 cups/d) was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.90; P for trend <0.001) compared with those in the lowest category (<2 cups/d). The corresponding relative risk comparing men in the highest category of tea consumption (2 cups/d) with those in the lowest category (nondrinkers) was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.92; P for trend=0.002).

Conclusions—These results suggest that high consumption of coffee and tea may reduce the risk of cerebral infarction among men, independent of known cardiovascular risk factors.