Millions of people enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning. But for some it doesn’t stop there. Some people enjoy coffee at any time of the day, in fact some people say they can’t make it through the day without coffee. What ever level of coffee drinker you are aside, now there’s evidence that drinking coffee may help you live longer.
The latest findings come from a study published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine that included about a half-million people in England, Scotland and Wales. Participants ranged in age from 38 to 73.
According to the study, people who drank two to three cups of coffee per day had about a 12 percent lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. The results were the same for all kinds of coffee drinkers. One of the more interesting findings was that this effect held up among drinkers of decaffeinated coffee, too.
It is not yet known what it is about coffee that may be protective but it’s probably not the caffeine since the effect carries over to decaffeinated coffee drinkers too.
With caffeine virtually eliminated as the cause of the effect, researchers are now looking at the bean itself. Coffee beans are loaded with many different nutrients and Phyto-chemicals, these compounds include lignans, quinides and magnesium, some of which may help reduce insulin resistance and inflammation. It is well known that inflammation is a key factor in many debilitating illnesses.
Though it seems obvious that the effect is brought on by some chemical component found in coffee, there may also be psychological angle. It may be that the simple fact that coffee brings joy to those who drink it plays a part. The simple pleasure of drinking a cup of coffee can relax and relieve tension which may play a role in living longer.
So, go ahead and have that second cup of coffee, who knows, it may help you live longer.
