Stay on target
Coffee drinkers don’t much care if the brewed beverage prolongs or shortens their life. They just want their daily dose of caffeine.
Still, researchers continue to analyze the impacts of roasted coffee beans on humans.
The latest report—an observational study presented this week at the annual ESC (European Society of Cardiology) Congress—suggests higher coffee consumption is associated with lower risk of death.
Woo hoo! Every cappuccino, espresso, and coconut milk mocha macchiato brings you one step closer to outliving family and friends.
“Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages around the world,” according to Adela Navarro, a cardiologist at the Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.
So why not examine the association between it and the risk of mortality among middle-aged Mediterraneans?
As part of the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) Project—a long-term effort to identify dietary determinants of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, coronary heart disease, and other conditions—nearly 20,000 people entered the study. Over a 10-year period, 337 of them died.
Researchers determined that those participants who drank at least four cups of coffee per day had a 64 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who, like me, never (or almost never) consume
battery acid java.
“Our findings suggest that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people,” Navarro said in a statement.
The prospect of death declined another 22 percent for every two additional cups per day.
“In the SUN project we found an inverse association between drinking coffee and the risk of all-cause mortality, particularly in people aged 45 years and above,” Navarro said. “This may be due to a stronger protective association among older participants.”
Eyeing a mid-life crisis? Skip the sports car and steer clear of the tattoo parlor; instead, spend your days downing mug after mug of caffeine and people watching. Your body will apparently thank you.
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