Coffee and Longevity

It’s the latest entry in the long literature on the health effects of coffee. A  study in JAMA Internal Medicine links imbibing daily to a longer life.

The study of roughly half a million adults in the U.K. shows that people who drink coffee –  as much as eight or more cups per day – enjoy longevity benefits.

People who drank two to three cups per day had about a 12 per cent lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers.The benefits seemed to increased the more coffee people drank with the sweert spot at  six to seven cups a day. Those people had a 16 per cent lower risk of death, while people who quaff eight or more cups were 14 per cent less likely to die.

All types of coffee had a benefit, including decaffineited and even instant.  That suggests that the advantageous ingredient isn’t the caffeine.

Researchers think it may be the combination of nutrients and antioxidant-rich compounds that are behind coffee’s healthful effects.The study adds to a growing body of research supporting the positive impact of coffee on organs such as the heart and liver, and a decreased risk of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.