Coffee prolongs life! And that’s true even when it’s instant and decaffeinated, according to a multi-year study
Those who drink coffee frequently live longer, scientists have concluded. The optimal dose is about three cups a day. How does coffee prolong life?
Coffee drinkers live longer
Scientists believe that coffee extends life primarily by lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. These are the leading cause of death in developed countries.
The analysis looked at nearly 450,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69. Data on them came from the British Biobank database. Nearly 80% of them drank coffee, with instant coffee being the most popular. All varieties of coffee reduced the risk of premature death:
- brewed coffee — by 27%,
- instant coffee — by 11%,
- decaffeinated coffee — by 14%.
“Our research shows that in moderate amounts, coffee is healthy,” explains Professor Peter Kistler of Australia’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, the study’s lead author.
Previous studies have also shown that coffee prolongs life
In 2015, the journal Circulation published similar findings. Prof. Frank Hu of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the report’s lead author, claimed that coffee followers tend to live longer because they are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, neurological disorder, type 2 diabetes. There are also fewer suicides among them. In this analysis, the optimal coffee intake was between 3 and 5 cups a day. Larger doses of coffee can already be detrimental to health.
The U.S. experts cited studies spanning at least some 30 years and involving nearly 210,000 men and women. One is the Nurses’ Health Study I/ II, which has studied U.S. nurses since 1976. The other study is the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which only involves men.
Why is coffee healthy?
Ming Ding, co-author of the 2015 study, believes that coffee’s beneficial effects on health are due to the fact that it contains specific substances. They reduce the body’s resistance to insulin and counteract inflammation that promotes many diseases.
Analyses have shown that coffee is a beverage rich in beneficial antioxidants, such as coffee acid. They activate the body’s natural defense mechanisms and eliminate harmful free radicals from the body.
Is coffee healthy for everyone?
However, it is important to remember that coffee is not good for everyone. In 2015, the results of the European Food Safety Authority Study were released, suggesting that drinking four cups of coffee a day promotes greater nervousness, anxiety and panic attacks.
These effects may be due to the caffeine contained in coffee. It also stimulates the secretion of hydrochloric acid, which can promote inflammatory changes in the stomach and intestines. It also increases the concentration of gastrin, a hormone that causes the esophageal sphincter muscles to relax, preventing backflow of gastric contents. Therefore, people suffering from reflux disease or indigestion should limit their coffee intake.
From a dietary perspective, coffee additives such as sugar and fats are also important. The recently popular coffees with milk are very caloric. For example, a large cappuccino or frappuccino has 560 calories.
The least healthy coffee is that which contains grounds. They contain fats, adversely affecting the cardiovascular system in particular. The grounds can also irritate the gastric mucosa. Therefore, it is better to avoid, for example, Turkish-brewed coffee. On the other hand, all coffees from filter-equipped coffee makers are safe: filter coffee makers, pressure coffee makers, makinettes, etc.
Source: European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
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