Living Longer – Is Coffee The Answer?

Following a European and US study that looked at the relationship between the amount of coffee people drink and death, it's been suggested that "drinking three cups of coffee a day could add years to your life." 

The study included over 450,000 participants, and researchers found that men who drank the highest amounts of coffee had a 12% overall reduced risk of death, whereas women had a 7% reduced risk overall compared to men, with a greater risk of dying of cancer with the more coffee they drank.

This cohort study looked at data from people enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) to see if there were links between coffee consumption and overall deaths, as well as deaths from specific diseases.

This type of study is good for looking at this kind of issue, as it involves people already participating in other research and allows data on a large number of people to be examined.

But cohort studies can't show cause and effect, so aren't able to prove that drinking coffee decreases or increases likelihood of death.

Source: NHS

'Take With Caution'

This headline hitting the news that drinking 3 cups a day could prolong your life should however be taken with caution! The NHS have advised there's no hard proof coffee reduces the risk of death. "Many other factors that might have played a role weren't taken into account" they've stated.

Too much caffeine in previous years has been reported to lead to an early grave. Specifically, back in 2015, it was suggested that any more than 4 cups can 'put the nail in the coffin'.
Caffeine can almost defiantly be dangerous when consumed in large quantities and has many links to conditions such as panic attacks, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, tremors and insomnia. A memorable story hit headlines across the globe regarding the death of teenager not long ago due to drinking a high caffeine content energy drink, followed by a Latte and fizzy drink. This high amount that was consumed over the space of 2 hours was reported to have induced a cardiac arrest, and the teenager sadly lost his life.

As it stands there are guidelines that no more than four cups of coffee should be drank a day, and pregnant women are advised to consume no more than 200mg of caffeine a day which equates to around two mugs. With conflicting stories regarding what we should and shouldn't eat constantly being in the media, it's often hard as to what to believe.

The NHS have stated that, The media like to run stories on one single drink or "superfood" that will "guarantee" good health. This, of course, is nonsense: the only way to increase your chances of leading a longer, healthier life is to have a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly."

Are you a keen coffee drinker? What do you make of this story? Get in touch!

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