Staff Writer
NEED a couple of cups of coffee to get going in the morning? And around five to see you through the day?
New research says you will be doing more for your body than just giving it that caffeine jolt. You may be prolonging your life.
Harvard School of Public Health researchers, who analysed data from three long-term studies still on the go, found that people who consumed between three to five cups of coffee a day lowered the risk of early death from heart disease, neurological diseases and type 2 diabetes.
They also found it lowered the risk of suicide.
Researchers analysed health data gathered from people who were taking part in three long-term studies. There were 74 890 women in a nurses’ health study; 93 054 women in a second nurses’ health study and 40 557 men in a health professionals study.
Coffee drinkers were assessed using validated food questionnaires every four years over 30 years. During this time 19 524 women and 12 432 men died of a range of causes.
The results were that for the whole population, moderate coffee consumption - three to five cups a day - was associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, from diabetes, neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease - and suicide.
Coffee consumption was not associated with cancer deaths.
Researchers said the analyses took into account “potential confounding factors” such as smoking, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol consumption and dietary factors.
What was interesting was that these benefits applied to both those who drank caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.
Lead author Ming Ding, a doctoral student in the department of nutrition, said more studies were needed to investigate the biological mechanisms producing these effects. However, he added that bioactive compounds in coffee reduced insulin resistance and systemic inflammation.
“That could explain some of our findings.”