To all my fellow coffee-lovers, I have some great news for you. A new study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine found that drinking coffee could increase chances of longer life, even those who drink up to 8 cups a day. It also doesn’t matter the type of coffee or if it is caffeinated or decaf!
When I was a kid, it was gospel that coffee took five years off your life. Today, coffee is definitively linked to longer lives. I don't know what is real anymore.
— Ben Dierker (@bendierker) July 3, 2018
The researchers used data from the UK Biobank study that asked a large group of UK adults to complete a health survey, physical examination, and to provide biological samples. The current study looked at 500,000 British adults and compared their coffee intake. They were then asked about their coffee consumption, smoking and drinking habits, health history, and more. In the 10-year follow-up, around 14,200 of those people had died. Those who chugged down multiple cups of coffee each day had a lower risk of death over a ten year period than those who never had some in their life. Those who drank at least 8 cups a day, specifically, saw their death rates cut by nearly 14 percent! According to the UK Food Standards Agency, 8 cups is twice the maximum amount of caffeine recommended. Those who drank seven to six cups a day had lowered their risk by 16 percent. Those who drank one cup per day had an 8 percent lowered risk.
Prior research suggested that coffee consumption could be related to high risks of high blood pressure and heart attack in those who slowly metabolize caffeine. According to NPR, previous studies didn’t look at the overall mortality risk as well. The longevity-boosting effect of decaf coffee and the fact that the speed metabolizing caffeine doesn’t affect longevity suggests that the caffeine in coffee doesn’t extend life.
Drinking #coffee equals longer life??? I'm gonna live forever then. 😄 https://t.co/oIY2fVchWy
— Patrick Moore (@patrickwm68) July 3, 2018
“Our current understanding of coffee and health is primarily based on findings from observational studies,” said Dr. Erikka Loftfield, the studies lead investigator and research fellow at the National Cancer Institute, to Time.
There was no association recognized between any amount of coffee consumed and long-term health risks including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer. But coffee has long beenlinked with combating illnesseslike heart disease, cancer, dementia, diabetes, and depression. Since it is rich in antioxidants that reduces inflammation and boosts lung function and sensitivity to insulin.
“Our study provides further evidence that coffee drinking can be part of a healthy diet and offers reassurance to coffee drinkers,” Loftfield said to Time.