Can't live without your morning cup of coffee? Well we've got some good news that will perk you right up. In the constant good for you bad for you food debate, it appears coffee is on the up and up. According to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, drinking coffee may help you live longer. So grab another cup all you coffee drinkers and read on.
The study found that coffee consumption had an inverse association with mortality. Using data from the UK Biobank study, researchers analyzed the data of about 500,000 participant questionnaires who also provided biological samples and underwent physical examines. Participant ages ranged from 38-73 years old and included participants who drank anywhere from one to eight cups of coffee or more a day. To get more accurate data, they also asked other lifestyle questions including whether or not the participants were smokers and health history.
The Study
According to Time, when they did a 10-year follow up on the questionnaire, 14,200 had died. What they concluded was those who consumed one cup a day had a lower risk of early death by 8-percent, six to seven cup a day drinkers had a 16-percent lower rate, and 14-percent for those who drank eight or more cups per day compared to non-coffee drinkers.
You're probably jumping for joy right now finally getting some good news about your caffeine addiction, or perhaps you've got a mad case of the jitters. If it's the latter, you can switch to decaf and still celebrate because researchers found that there was little difference between whether or not the coffee was caffeinated.
While the lead researcher and research fellow at the National Cancer Institute Dr. Erikka Loftfield says additional studies are still needed, she did say,
"This study provides further evidence that coffee drinking can be part of a healthy diet and offers reassurance to coffee drinkers."
While you shouldn't start emptying packets of instant coffee in all your drinking water, it's a bonus for all you coffee lovers out there to know that developing regular coffee drinking habits is good for you. So go on, brew another cup and take in that wonderful aroma of a nice hot cup of coffee.
