- More evidence suggests that drinking coffee can help reduce health risks and prolong life.
- Researchers found that coffee drinkers were less likely to die of cancer and heart disease in a seven-year study.
- People who drank slightly sugary coffee also lived longer, so adding sugar may not be healthy.
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Your daily coffee habits can help you live a longer, healthier life, even if you add sugar, according to a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, analyzed data on the coffee habits and health of more than 171,000 UK residents who had no cancer or heart disease at the start of the study for a period of time. of seven years.
Previously, evidence has suggested that coffee drinkers live longer: Chinese researchers sought to test whether this was true even when people added sugar to their daily brewing.
They found that people who drank sugar-free coffee regularly were 16-21% less likely to die during the study than their non-coffee-drinking peers.
And study participants who drank one to four cups of lightly sweetened coffee a day were 29-31% less likely to die during the study, according to the data.
The researchers found that the results were less clear for participants who used artificial sweeteners, who have seen similar results in previous research. Some experts and evidence say these products may be a safe and healthy exchange for sugar, according to the Mayo Clinic, while others raise concerns about possible associations with cancer or metabolic health problems.
However, the evidence does not necessarily support high-sugar coffee drinks as healthy, according to an editorial by Harvard professor Dr. Christina Wee on the Southern Medical University study. Participants added about a teaspoon of sugar per cup, on average, much less than the amount of sweetener usually found in brewed or blended coffee drinks.
The findings are supported by previous evidence that coffee is generally beneficial for longevity, regardless of how you drink it.
Coffee has evidence-based benefits for mental and physical health, with few side effects in moderation
Coffee, and its main ingredient, caffeine, has been extensively studied, with a wealth of data suggesting that it is not only safe in moderation, but good for your health.
Previous studies suggest that coffee drinkers live longer because they have a lower risk of suffering from diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Caffeine can also increase mental attention and also benefit brain health, especially as we age, and appears to be associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease. The drink is also linked to a lower risk of depression and suicide.
However, you can take too much caffeine. According to the Mayo Clinic, doses of more than 400 milligrams of caffeine (more than four to five cups of coffee) can cause minor side effects such as anxiety, nervousness, fast heart rate, and sweating.
And in extreme cases, concentrated caffeine can cause serious problems from about 1,200 milligrams, although you should drink more than 12 cups of coffee for this to happen. Severe and fatal overdoses of caffeine have occurred from the equivalent of more than 50 cups of coffee in a single concentrated dose of caffeine powder.
But for the average coffee drinker, with up to five cups of coffee spread throughout the day, the habit is unlikely to have significant side effects.
Beyond caffeine, coffee contains a large number of other compounds that could have a positive effect on your health, including polyphenols, which research shows can reduce inflammation, improve intestinal bacteria, increase metabolism, and moderate blood sugar.