A group of Harvard researchers found that drinking copious amounts of coffee every day lowers the risk of mortality.
Their study titled, ‘Association of Coffee Consumption with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Three Large Prospective Cohorts’ was published in this month’s Circulation, an online publication of the American Heart Association.
According to the research, if you drink one cup of regular or decaffeinated coffee a day, you will lower your chance of premature death from type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, even suicide. Drink three to five cups, and your risk gets even lower.
The researchers examined data of some 200,000 people over three decades, sourcing three other studies, and found significantly lower death rates among non-smokers who consumed one to five cups of coffee a day.
According to one of the authors, Ming Ding, a doctoral student in Harvard’s Department of Nutrition, there’s something inside that cup of java helps the body resist disease.
“Bioactive compounds in coffee reduce insulin resistance and systematic inflammation,” he said in a press release. “That could explain some of our findings. However, more studies are needed to investigate the biological mechanisms producing these effects.”
Senior author Frank Hu, Harvard’s professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology goes even further.
“These data support the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Report that concluded that ‘moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern.’”
So, whether you take your coffee black, with cream and sugar, regular, or decaf, go ahead and enjoy it. And while you’re sipping, sing a line or two from the old Java Jive song…
“I love java, sweet and hot, Whoops Mr. Moto, I’m a coffee pot, Shoot the pot and I’ll pour me a shot, A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup…”
Here’s to a long java-filled life, and may your coffee cup runneth over.
Lots coffee drinking is prolonging your life
There’s good news for coffee lovers because lots coffee drinking is prolonging your life, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Harvard. So, if you’re still upset about news that red meat may cause cancer and thinking about quitting bacon, there’s an upside. Coffee is still good.
Researchers at the university’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed data from around 200,000 people over the course of 30 years, over viewing three other studies and sources. Their results showed that drinking copious amounts of coffee will reduce the risk of premature death. One or two cups of coffee per day is good. Three or five is actually better.
In spite of recommendations that ‘moderate coffee drinking’ is beneficial, it seems that indulging in several cups of joe per day may be even healthier. It will reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, skin cancer, and neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. It was noted that it decreases those risks of premature death by 5-9%.
Furthermore, the team of researchers also found that those who drank at least one cup of coffee per day had lower suicides rates. Coffee drinkers had between 20-36% rates of committing suicides, while non-coffee drinkers had rates above 36%. It seems that the morning jolt would be even better at improving your life if it turns into an afternoon jolt as well.
And all of this is reportedly the same whether drinking caffeinated or decaffeinated. It’s good news for those who don’t actually need the extra energy. There are some who abstain from the drinking morning’s elixir due to its intense effects. Some experience trembling in their hands or heightened anxiety after just one cup. However, the taste could still be indulged in, along with the benefits.
Whether you’re taking your coffee black, with sugar, or cream, or both, the health perks will still be fortunately there. This led the researchers to the conclusion that the secret is in the coffee beans, and not the actual caffeine. According to one of the researchers, Ming Ding, there are “bioactive compounds” within the coffee that “reduce insulin resistance and systematic inflammation”.
However, more research is definitely required before people will start chugging down the entire coffee pot. There is one extra reason to enjoy and love coffee though, especially more than just ‘moderate amounts’. It helps with blood sugar regulation, and has been spotted with several benefits. Now, it may have just been linked to living a longer life.
So, caff up!
Three-five cups of coffee daily lowers early death risk
“The main takeaway is that regular consumption of coffee can be incorporated into a healthy diet”, said senior study author Dr. Frank Hu.
During that time, 19,524 women and 12,432 men died. Study participants who consumed between less than a cup of coffee and 3 cups per day showed 5% to 9% lower risk of dying as compared to the ones who drank no coffee.
Smoking was the only factor that had such a negative impact on a person’s health it seems to have completely erased any benefits from coffee. “However, more studies are needed to investigate the biological mechanisms producing these effects”, added Ding.
Coffee lovers will now have more reasons to love coffee as a new study finds that drinking the beverage regularly improves longevity.
Researchers did not test how upping coffee consumption would change health outlooks, so they can not conclude that coffee “causes” a decreased risk of death. Coffee can wake a few people up and keep them motivated for others and cause others to shake uncontrollably and feel way more anxious after only a cup or two.
The researchers also found that study participants who drank at least a cup of coffee a day had between 20 percent and 36 percent lower rates of suicide, although those who drank less than a cup had 36 percent higher rates. You don’t reap the health benefits; there’s no association with lowered mortality if you have five cups or more.
Nothing new under the sun because we already know that coffee, often been deemed an elixir, a miracle potion of sorts and has been seen to reduce the risks of skin cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Both regular and decaf coffee drinkers will experience the same benefits, which may be due to antioxidants, magnesium and other components that are known to help with blood sugar regulation while reducing inflammation, and even in a few cases, with symptoms resulting from Parkinson’s disease.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health and appeared in the journal Circulation on November 12.
So the findings should be interpreted with caution, researchers said. However, more research is needed to determine how coffee affects the body and whether different types of coffee may play a role
