Study links daily coffee habit to longevity

New research reveals your morning coffee gives you more than a caffeine buzz – it may also help boost longevity.

In research published in the journal Circulation, researchers found that those who drank up to five cups of coffee per day had a lower premature mortality rate. Decaf drinks saw similar benefits.

“In our study, we found people who drank three to five cups of coffee per day had about 15 per cent lower mortality compared to people who didn’t drink coffee,” said one of the study authors Walter Willett from the Harvard School of Public Health.

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The study of more than 200,000 people revealed that a coffee habit reduced the risk of premature death from heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and type-2 diabetes, with the benefits thought to be linked to plant compounds in coffee beans.

According to lead study author, Ming Ding, “Bioactive compounds in coffee reduce insulin resistance and systematic inflammation. That could explain some of our findings. However, more studies are needed to investigate the biological mechanisms producing these effects.”

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While the study looked at other factors that may have influenced the results, including BMI, levels of exercise, diet, smoking and alcohol consumption, coffee alone isn’t going to protect you from heart disease or type-2 diabetes.

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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is going to do more for you in the long-term, but it’s good to know you don’t need to kick your coffee habit.

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