Go ahead and have that cup of coffee because new research shows it may boost chances for a longer life, even for those who down at least eight cups daily.
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In a study of nearly half-a-million British adults, coffee drinkers had a slightly lower risk of death over 10 years than abstainers.
The apparent longevity boost was seen with instant, ground and decaffeinated, results that echo US research.
Overall, coffee drinkers were about 10 per cent to 15 per cent less likely to die than abstainers during a decade of follow-up.
The results don't prove your coffee pot is a fountain of youth nor are they a reason for abstainers to start drinking coffee, said Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition expert who was not involved in the research.
But she said the results reinforce previous research and add additional reassurance for coffee drinkers.
"It's hard to believe that something we enjoy so much could be good for us. Or at least not be bad," Lichtenstein said.
The study was published on Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
It's not clear exactly how drinking coffee might affect longevity.
Lead author Erikka Loftfield, a researcher at the US National Cancer Institute, said coffee contains more than 1000 chemical compounds including antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage.
Other studies have suggested that substances in coffee may reduce inflammation and improve how the body uses insulin, which can reduce chances for developing diabetes.
For the study, researchers invited 9 million British adults to take part; 498,134 women and men aged 40 to 69 agreed. The low participation rate means those involved may have been healthier than the general UK population, the researchers said.
Participants filled out questionnaires about daily coffee consumption, exercise and other habits, and received physical exams including blood tests. Most were coffee drinkers; 154,000 or almost one-third drank two to three cups daily and 10,000 drank at least eight cups daily.
During the next decade, 14,225 participants died, mostly of cancer or heart disease.
Coffee drinkers in the UK study didn't have higher risks than non-drinkers of dying from heart disease and other blood pressure-related causes.
As in previous studies, coffee drinkers were more likely than abstainers to drink alcohol and smoke, but the researchers took those factors into account, and coffee drinking seemed to cancel them out.
Australian Associated Press
