Can Drinking More Coffee Extend Your Life?

If you are used to starting your day with having a morning cup of java and have another and another during a day, this might prolong your life, as a new study published in article at MONDAY, July 2, 2018, in HealthDay News suggests.

It’s an amazing fact that drinking lots of coffee was linked to a reduced risk of early death, even among people who are used to have eight or even more cups each day.

And what is the reason? Surprisingly it’s not the caffeine. It turns out that to enjoy the benefit, it doesn’t make a difference if coffee you drink is decaf, instant or caffeinated, the as the researchers concluded.

“This study may provide reassurance to coffee drinkers,” stated lead researcher Erikka Loftfield (epidemiologist at the U.S. National Cancer Institute).

Loftfield also cautioned that this observational study isn’t enough to conclude that coffee may cause people to live longer.

It’s a fact that people who had eight or more cups of coffee a day had a 14% less risk of dying over a 10-year study period when compared to people who did not drink coffee.

Moreover, people who had six to seven cups a day, cut the risk to 16 percent, added Loftfield.

It’s interesting to mention that, how fast caffeine is metabolized is in the body, slowly or quickly, isn’t a factor in ripping the benefits. “It’s the non-caffeine components that might be responsible for the association,” said the researcher.

Explanation of Loftfield was quite a simple: “Coffee contains more than 1,000 biological compounds, including potassium and folic acid, known to have an effect on the body, but for non-coffee drinkers, the modest benefits aren’t a reason to start.”

“If somebody enjoys drinking coffee, they may continue to enjoy it based on these findings. But if they don’t drink coffee, these findings don’t say to start drinking it”.

To make such conclusions for the study the researchers collected data on more than 500,000 people taking part in a large, long-running British study.

The study that lasted over a decade, more than 14,000 people past away. Even so, people who drank the most coffee were less likely to die.

When interviewed, Samantha Heller is a nutritionist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said: “Like so many plant foods, the coffee bean is brimming with polyphenols that, research suggests, confer health benefits, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, and antihypertensive properties.

Plants including vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains have many healthful compounds that have a positive effect on health and well-being.

Due in part to these compounds, people who follow a more plant-based approach to eating have lower rates of chronic diseases, such as certain cancers, obesity, diabetes, dementia, heart disease, and depression, said Heller.

“Drinking coffee is not a miracle in a cup, and is unlikely to prevent the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle, such as the typical Western diet or smoking tobacco,” noted S. Heller.

When examined thoroughly, it was found that the caffeine in the coffee showed some bad health consequences for some people.

“Teas also have health benefits, so if you do not drink coffee, tea is a great alternative,” said S. Heller. “Overall, though, coffee can certainly be considered a part of a healthy diet.”

The report on this unusual study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, on July 2, 2018 online.

Korean Study

The effect of coffee on heart health is an old debate, and there is a lot of confusion about it.

Another study run by Korean researchers found that drinking a few cups of coffee a day may be helpful in avoiding clogged arteries which is a well-known risk factor for heart disease.

Korean researchers studied more than 25,000 male and female employees who underwent routine health checks at their workplace.

Employees who drank a moderate amount of coffee, 3 to 5 cups a day, were less inclined to have early signs of heart disease on their medical scans.

People who drank a few cups of coffee a day had less, calcium deposits in their coronary arteries when compared to workers who drank more than a moderate amount, or no coffee at all.

The study authors find that to confirm and explain the link more research has to be done.

Beside a well know stimulant CAFFEINE found in Coffee, coffee contains also several other substances and compounds that make it difficult to conclude whether these may cause good or harm to the body.

Victoria Taylor from the British Heart Foundation notes: “While this study does highlight a potential link between coffee consumption and lower risk of developing clogged arteries, more research is needed to confirm these findings and understand what the reason is for the association.

“We need to take care when generalizing these results because it is based on the South Korean population, who have different diet and lifestyle habits to people in the UK.”

The findings reopen the debate about whether coffee is good for the heart.

So, How Much Caffeine is Good?

• Up to 400mg per day of caffeine, seem  to be safe for most healthy adults – Say experts In the US
• In the UK — There is no recommended daily upper limit for caffeine consumption, except for pregnant women
• Pregnant women are advised to limit the amount of caffeine to 200mg per day which is equivalent to 2 mugs of instant coffee
• 1 mug of instant coffee comes with 100mg of caffeine
• 1 mug of filter coffee 140mg of caffeine
• 1 mug of tea 75mg  of caffeine
• 1 can of cola 40mg  of caffeine
• A cup of espresso has about 50mg of caffeine
• NOTE: Coffee shop caffeine levels vary widely

Source: NHS Choices

Need More information?

For more on coffee and health, visit the American Heart Association.

SOURCES:

Erikka Loftfield, Ph.D., epidemiologist, U.S. National Cancer Institute;
Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D., nutritionist, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City;
July 2, 2018, JAMA Internal Medicine, online