According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, drinking sugary or sugar-free coffee is associated with a lower risk of death compared to not drinking the drink.
The researchers surveyed 171,616 participants in the UK up to five times a year about their lifestyle, including their coffee drinking habits. Scientists then searched for death certificates to see who had died an average of seven years later.
Participants ranged in age from 37 to 73 and reported no cardiovascular disease or cancer at the time of the survey.
The results showed that for people who drank a moderate amount of coffee, defined as between 1.5 and 3.5 cups a day, those who sweetened their coffee had a risk of death approximately 30% lower compared to those who did not drink coffee, according to Dr. Christina Wee, an associate. professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who did not participate in the study. She is also the Deputy Editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Sugar-free coffee drinkers had a 16% to 29% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers, he added.
The findings were adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors to eliminate their effects on outcomes. For example, the research team asked questions about the level of smoking, the amount of physical activity, the level of education, and dietary habits, Wee said.
There is a limit to the adjustments the researchers made because they did not ask about other factors that could affect the results, such as income level and employment, he said.
Pay attention to the added sugar
If you drink lattes with sugar and caramel macchiatos, you’re out of luck.
According to the study, the average coffee drinker who reported sweetening their coffee put an average of 1 teaspoon.
“If you only add about 1 teaspoon of sugar to your coffee, the benefits of the coffee we believe there are are not completely denied by that 1 teaspoon,” Wee said.
The results of people using artificial sweetener in their coffee were less clear, so the researchers were unable to draw any conclusions for people who prefer sugar substitutes.
“From this study, doctors can tell their patients that most coffee drinkers do not need to eliminate the drink from their diet, but should be careful with special coffees with more calories,” the lead author said. of the study, Dr. Dan Liu, in an email. He is from the Department of Epidemiology at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China.
How does coffee affect the body?
Previous research has shown that drinking coffee could protect the heart and help treat other ailments, Liu said. It can also reduce the risk of liver problems, a 2021 study said.
Coffee also has different health profiles, depending on how it is produced, said Gunter Kuhnle, a professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading in the UK. He did not participate in the study.
Some types contain phenolic compounds, which are believed to be beneficial, he said.
These chemicals affect the taste and aroma of coffee and are valuable because they can act as antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. The two most common coffee species are Arabica and Robusta, and research shows that Robusta coffee has a higher phenolic content than Arabica coffee.
Unroasted green coffee beans contain high levels of phenolic compounds, but the bad smell when brewed makes people toast them. Depending on the level of toasting, some of the phenolic compounds may decompose.
And depending on how you make it, coffee may contain high levels of diterpenes, which are chemicals that can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, Kuhnle said.
Boiled coffee and French press coffee contain some of the highest amounts of diterpenes, according to a 2016 study.
Mocha coffee and espresso coffee contained a moderate amount of diterpenes, while instant coffees or filtered coffees had less.