Drinking coffee cuts risk of death by up to 30%, study suggests

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That cup of coffee in the morning may be linked to a lower risk of death, researchers concluded in a July study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine.

People who drank 1.5 to 3.5 cups of coffee a day, even with a teaspoon of sugar, were up to 30% less likely to die during the study period than those who didn’t drink coffee.

Those who drank unsweetened coffee were 16% to 21% less likely to die during the study period, and those who drank about three cups a day had the lowest risk of death compared to those who didn’t drink coffee.

The researchers analyzed coffee consumption data collected from the UK Biobank, a large medical database with health information from people across the UK.

They examined demographic, lifestyle and dietary information collected from more than 170,000 people aged between 37 and 73 years, during an average follow-up period of seven years. The risk of mortality remained lower for people who drank coffee, either decaf or caffeinated. Data were inconclusive on those who drank coffee with artificial sweeteners.

“It’s fantastic,” said Christina Wee, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard and associate editor of the scientific journal that published the study. “There are very few things that reduce human mortality by 30%.”

Wee edited the study and published a corresponding editorial in the same journal.

However, there are important caveats to interpreting this research, she added. It is an observational study, which means that the data cannot conclusively prove that coffee itself reduces the risk of death; there may be other lifestyle factors that contribute to this lower risk of mortality among coffee drinkers, such as a healthy diet or consistent exercise routine.

The average amount of sugar added to each cup of coffee in the study was just over a teaspoon — far less than the amount typically added to many sugary drinks on chain coffee shops. A large Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, for example, contains 25 grams of sugar, about five times more than a cup of sweetened coffee in the study.

“All bets are off when you try to compare this to a ‘latte’, a Frappuccino, a shaken ‘supermocha’ or whatever,” said Eric Goldberg, an associate clinical professor at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. These drinks tend to be high in calories and fat, he said, which potentially eliminates or at least diminishes any benefit of coffee.

That study is the latest in a robust line of research showing the potential health benefits of coffee, he said. Previous research has linked coffee consumption with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver and prostate cancer and other health problems.

Scientists don’t know exactly what makes coffee so beneficial, Goldberg said, but the answer may lie in its antioxidant properties, which can prevent or delay cellular damage.

Coffee beans contain lots of antioxidants, said Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition, which can help break down free radicals that cause cell damage.

Over time, a buildup of free radicals can increase inflammation in the body, which can cause heart disease-related plaque to form, she said, so nutritionists recommend consuming foods and drinks rich in antioxidants.

There is also the possibility that coffee drinkers tend to make healthier choices in general. They may opt for an iced coffee or espresso in place of a less healthy source of caffeine, such as an energy drink or soda, Goldberg said.

“If you’re drinking Mountain Dew, Coke, Red Bull or any of those drinks, they have a lot more sugar. All the artificial stuff — unlike coffee, which is usually an unprocessed food.”

Despite the encouraging evidence about coffee, there’s not enough data to suggest that people who don’t currently drink coffee should stop at Starbucks during their morning errands, Wee said. And even avid coffee drinkers shouldn’t use the study to justify endless cups.

The study showed that the benefits of coffee decreased among people who drank more than 4.5 cups of coffee a day. Previous studies have shown that consuming “extreme amounts” — more than 7 cups a day — can be harmful, she said.

“Moderation is good,” Goldberg said. “But too much of a good thing is not necessarily good.”

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