NCI Study Finds Coffee Drinkers Live Longer

Has anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t drink so much coffee?

The aromatic pick-me-up often gets a lot of bad buzz in terms of health. But according to a large study conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institute of Health, coffee drinkers are less likely to die than those who don’t drink coffee.

The study included 400,000 women and men ages 50 to 71. Research began in 1995 and 1996 when participants’ coffee intakes were initially measured; they were then followed until the date they died or December 31, 2008, whichever came first.

Results from the study showed an association between the amount of coffee consumed and the risk of death, but researchers emphasized they can’t be certain if it is the coffee that makes people live longer. Neal Freedman, PhD, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at NCI, said, “Although we cannot infer a causal relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some reassurance that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health.”

 According to the media release, men and women who drank three or more cups of coffee per day had approximately a 10 percent lower risk of death than those who did not drink coffee. Drinking coffee had no connection to cancer death for women and was only marginally statistically significant for men. The negative association with death overall includes causes such as heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections.

Researchers can’t be certain of what mechanisms within coffee might provide protective health benefits, but results were similar for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee drinkers.

Looking for tips on healthy aging? Read about longevity-boosting nutritional supplements.

Also, make sure to acquaint yourself with these eco-coffee tips.