Get Powerful Longevity Benefits From Coffee

Many people still think of coffee as a guilty pleasure that is better avoided. In fact, coffee has been fully vindicated by science as one of the most powerful longevity foods available!

Studies show regular coffee drinking has strong protective effects against diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It also may lower risk of death from heart disease by up to 25%, lower diabetes risk by 60%, and decrease colon cancer risk by 25%.

Coffee also impacts brain health. For example, a study of 1409 individuals found that those who drank more coffee in middle age had lower risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia 21 years later. Subjects who drank the most coffee (3 to 5 cups a day) had a 65% lower risk of cognitive degeneration at the study end point. Depression is also lower in coffee drinkers, likely because caffeine has a mood boosting effect.

Coffee pays off in terms of longevity as well. A large 14-year study of more than 400,000 older people found that the more coffee they drank the lower their risk of mortality. Men who drank 2 to 3 cups a day ad a 10 percent lower risk of mortality and those who drank 4 to 5 cups per day had a 12 percent lower risk than non-drinkers. The benefit of coffee was slightly high in women and they remained after adjusting for cofounders such as age, body fat, education, and lifestyle.

Why is coffee so healthy?

It’s jam packed with the antioxidants caffeic and chlorogenic acid, which eradicate inflammation. Inflammation is a factor in all major diseases and it plays a role in the aging of cells and DNA. Additionally, the caffeine appears to have a protective effect on the brain, increasing cognition and reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

How To Use Coffee:

The evidence points to a “more is better effect” of coffee—at least up to a point. Most studies show the greatest benefits from more than 2 but less than 6 cups a day.

Now, there are two issues to using coffee to live longer: If you find that the caffeine inhibits sleep or exacerbates your stress, then coffee is not for you.

The second catch is putting large amounts of sugar or artificial creamers in your coffee. Sugar spikes blood sugar, whereas fake creamers contain trans fats, pro-inflammatory oils, and artificial flavorings—all of which need to be avoided on a regular basis for peak health and longevity. So drink your coffee black or with just a little bit of milk or cream.

References:

Ding, M., et al. Association of Coffee Consumption with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Three Large Prospective Cohorts. Circulation.  2015. 132(24):2305-15.

Ding, M., et al. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and a dose-response meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. 2014. 37(2):569-86.

Eskelenin, M., et al. Midlife coffee and tea drinking and the risk of late-life dementia: a population-based CAIDE study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2009. 16(1):85-91.

Lopez-Garcia, E. Long-Term Coffee Consumption Associated with Reduced Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality. Evidence-Based Medicine. 2012. Published Ahead of Print.

Mostofsky, E., et al. Habitual Coffee Consumption and Risk of Heart Failure: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. Circulatory Heart Failure. 2012. 5(4), 401-405.

Takami, H., et al. Inverse Correlation Between Coffee Consumption and Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome. Journal of Epidemiology. 2012. Published Ahead of Print.