Do Coffee Drinkers Live Longer? That Depends...
Can coffee help you live longer? Drinking coffee has many well-known benefits, but you might wonder if it can increase your lifespan. This guide will address these questions and more!
Benefits of Caffeine
Did you know that drinking coffee is good for you?
Coffee is a natural substance with many different nutrients and compounds that can improve our health. We're not talking about the extra sugar, whipped cream, and syrup you add for flavoring - this article discusses the coffee itself.
For example, coffee contains high antioxidants that can help supplement the nutrients you get from fruits and vegetables. Brewing your coffee grounds with hot water allows the nutrients to mix into your drink, making it easy for our bodies to absorb.
Antioxidants are essential because they protect you from the oxidative stress caused by free radicals in your body. Free radicals are any unstable compounds or molecules we produce because of various stressors.
Over time, these free radicals can damage us and cause oxidation, which may have a link to severe illnesses like heart disease and cancer.
Even though coffee doesn't necessarily have more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables, what it provides can help your body combat these effects and improve your health.
If you've heard that coffee is bad for you, it could be due to its historical association with smoking. Christopher Gardner from Stanford is the researcher that made this connection. He noted that many early studies didn't consider that many of the negative health detriments were caused by the fact that most coffee drinkers also smoked regularly.
Modern research can isolate the effects of coffee, and there is clear evidence that it provides various health benefits. Not only do coffee drinkers have a lower risk of strokes, heart problems, and diabetes, but they are also less likely to develop certain cancers.
Does Coffee Help You Live Longer?
So, can coffee help you live longer? The short answer is yes.
Let's consider the health benefits mentioned above. If you're less likely to develop cancer, heart problems, or diabetes, you will have a longer, healthier life!
However, specific studies were conducted to determine coffee consumption's effect on lifespan. During this observation, over 400,000 people between the ages of 50 and 70 were observed for 12 years.
During the trial, those who consumed the most coffee had a much-decreased mortality rate! The individuals had a 12% to 16% decreased risk of early mortality if they drank 4 cups of coffee each day, albeit the percentages differed by gender.
Even those who only drank 1 cup per day were 6% less likely to die during the study. That means you don't have to drink a ton of it to reap the benefits, but drinking more won't hurt!
What were the coffee drinkers less likely to die from? The researchers learned that diabetes, stroke, heart disease, infections, and injuries occurred less frequently in those who drank coffee.
Scientists conducted additional studies after the success of the initial one, and they all showed similar results. Coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of liver diseases, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and more.
Although the findings are promising, there is no way to prove that drinking coffee can directly increase your lifespan. However, it can make you much happier, which is another important indicator for a long, healthy life.