Researchers from the University of Coimbra in Portugal say drinking coffee, including decaf, is linked to a material increase in lifespan.
The authors published their findings in the journal Ageing Research Reviews last month. In it, researchers concluded that drinking moderate amounts of coffee was linked to a nearly two-year longer lifespan.
“Coffee intake attenuates the major causes of mortality, dampening cardiovascular-, cerebrovascular-, cancer- and respiratory diseases-associated mortality, as well as some of the major causes of functional deterioration in the elderly such as loss of memory, depression, and frailty,” concluded the researchers.
The result? Moderate consumption equates “to an average increase in healthspan of 1.8 years,” read the study.
While the exact amount was difficult to confirm, the researchers say around three cups of coffee equated to the lowest mortality risk. Anything above three cups produced a decrease in benefits. Moreover, even just a single cup was found to elicit health benefits.
“We know that the world’s population is aging faster than ever, which is why it’s increasingly important to explore dietary interventions which may allow people to not only live longer but also healthier lives,” neuroscientist Rodrigo Cunha, the lead author of the study, said, per Food & Wine.
“Traditional clinical recommendations have at times overlooked coffee’s role in healthy aging, but with a strong research base around how regular consumption can potentially reduce some of the most chronic diseases facing society, it is likely time to re-evaluate these.”
In December, The Dallas Express reported on a study that found tea and coffee consumption was linked to a lower risk of certain cancers, specifically those that can develop in the head and neck. Individuals who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee daily had a 17% lower risk of these cancers versus people who drank none.
Moderate amounts of coffee consumption have also been previously found to be associated with a lower chance of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity, the coexistence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.