Drinking Multiple Cups Of Coffee A Day May Add Years To Your Life Due To Antioxidants
New research suggests that America’s favorite morning beverage may add years to your life. Two recent studies found a strong association between drinking multiple cups of coffee a day and lower risk of early death. While the studies don’t prove that coffee is the exact cause for drinkers’ longevity, the findings do give dedicated coffee drinkers another reason to relax about their daily habit.
The first study found that men who drank at least three cups of coffee a day were 18 percent less likely to die from any cause, and women who drank the same were 8 percent less likely to die when compared to their non-coffee drinking counterparts. More daily cups of coffee were associated with a greater reduction in death risk, with those drinking two to three cups a day18 percent less likely to die, and those who had only one experienced a 12 percent reduction in overall mortality The Independent reported. The second study found similar results, also associating more coffee consumption with lower risk of early death.
“Coffee contains a lot of antioxidants and phenolic compounds that play an important role in cancer prevention,” said lead author of the second study Dr. Veronica Setiawan, The Independent reported. “We cannot say drinking coffee will prolong your life, but we see an association. If you like to drink coffee, drink up! If you’re not a coffee drinker, then you need to consider if you should start.”
Read: Health Benefits Of Coffee May Now Include Lowering Risk For Multiple Sclerosis
The first study was conducted by researchers from Imperial College London and the Agency for Research on Cancer. These results were based on responses on coffee-drinking habits from more than a million people from 10 different European countries. The second study was from the U.S. and consisted of information from 185,000 people from various backgrounds. Both studies adjusted for other lifestyle factors, such as smoking and overall diet, and still found that coffee consumption was associated with reduced death risk.
Coffee often gets a bad reputation due to its high caffeine content, but the hot beverage is also chock full of nutrients and antioxidants. An antioxidant is a substance that may prevent or delay certain types of cell damage, Medlineplus reported. They do this by preventing or repairing damage caused by particles known as free radicals.
Free radicals are celluar waste products. Chemistry teaches that electrons like to travel in pairs, and single free radical electrons will compensate for their singularity by stealing electrons from throughout the body, either from proteins, fats, or DNA, SF Gate reported. Free radical damage to the DNA can sometimes cause mutations that may lead to cancer. Antioxidants help to prevent this by giving electrons to free radicals so they do not have to steal one from another body cell.
While coffee has many different types of antioxidants, it’s particularly high in flavonoids, an antioxidant known for its antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor qualities, Fox News reported.
Source:
Gunter MJ, Murphy N, Cross AJ, et al. Coffee Drinking and Mortality in 10 European Countries: A Multinational Cohort Study. Annals of Internal Medicine . 2017
Park SY, Freedman ND, Haiman CA, et al. Association of Coffee Consumption With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Nonwhite Populations. Annals of Internal Medicine . 2017
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