Coffee, a favorite drink all over the world, has gotten a bad rap over the years, but research is showing that it may not be a bad thing, and it might actually extend your life.
Studies done in the 1950s and 1960s reported that coffee drinkers were more prone to pancreatic cancer, heart disease, and other diseases. But these studies did not account for smoking, which was a habit that often accompanied a cup of coffee. Since the 1960’s, the scientific community has reversed its bad attitude toward coffee.
Recent studies have suggested an association between coffee intake and reduced risk for death.Research has linked coffee consumption with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver and prostate cancers and other diseases.
Some long-term studies have shown that coffee doesn’t promote cancer and may even protect against some types of cancer. The American Heart Association says that even heart attack survivors can have a cup or two.
The Annals of Internal Medicine published a study in May 2022, done by researchers from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, in which 171,616 people without cardiovascular disease or cancer were followed over seven years. The researchers used data from the UK Biobank study health behavior questionnaire to compare coffee drinkers and non coffee drinkers.
The study compared consumption of coffee with sugar (about 1 tsp), with artificial sweeteners, and without sweetener. Both unsweetened and sweetened coffee drinkers had lower mortality risks. Lifestyle, socio-demographic and clinical factors were taken into consideration in the study but there could be other factors affecting the outcome of the research.
If was found that people in the study who drank 1.5 to 3.5 cups of coffee per day increased their life span by up to 31% and reduced their risk of disease.
People who consumed three cups of coffee per day had the lowest risk of death, compared to non coffee drinkers. Health and longevity advantages did not extend to drinkers of coffee with artificial sweeteners, as the data was inconclusive.
The health benefits may be due to antioxidants, which can help break down free radicals that cause damage to cells, and anti-inflammatory compounds in coffee.
It may help prevent heart disease and can be of benefit with cancer and Parkinson’s disease, according to the study.
In moderation, coffee is beneficial, but more is not recommended. Coffee has about 90-100 mg of caffeine. The maximum intake per day should be 400 mg.
Notably, decaffeinated coffee has the same health benefits.
The study is limited in that there could be other factors affecting the outcome. Do coffee drinkers, for example, drink coffee instead of highly sugared sodas and other unhealthy drinks? Do coffee drinkers make better lifestyle choices in general?
In conclusion, experts say that moderation is the key. And keep in mind, a gigantic Starbucks Latte with a lot of sugar and cream, milk or whipped cream could outweigh the benefits.
