Can coffee help you live longer?
Have you had your cup of coffee yet? Are you about to have another one?
You know that caffeine jolt may be doing more than just waking you up. In 2 recent studies, results showed that drinking coffee is connected with a reduced risk of death. These studies were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, and they compared coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers and how they fared with health issues.
In the first study, researchers studied coffee consumption and liver function, inflammation, and metabolic health biomarkers. They found an inverse association between rates of death for coffee drinkers. Coffee seemed to positively affect digestive mortality in men and a positive effect on women and circulatory disease. The second study looked at non-white populations and their coffee drinking habits. The results again were promising. People who drank one cup a day had a 12 percent decrease in mortality. Those who regularly drank 2 or 3 cups a day saw their numbers increase to 18 percent. With the group who drank more than 4 cups a day, their percentage stayed at 18 for reduced mortality risk.
One surprise was it didnβt matter if the coffee was regular or decaf; the decreased mortality risks were still the same.
Parthaβs Rx
- When choosing your coffee, always buy and drink organic. Conventional coffee is heavily sprayed with pesticides and always tries to support companies that promote fair trade practices.
- Always buy whole coffee beans and grind them at home when needed. Coffee beans will begin to break down and become rancid once the inner contents are exposed to oxygen and moisture. The oxygen and moisture also are enemies of anti-oxidants in coffee beans. Anti-oxidants create stability and health in living systems and ward off disease.
- Try to drink your coffee without sugar. Adding sugar adds extra calories to the drink, and sugar also stops you from truly tasting the nuances of the various blends. Cream in your coffee can help you with sugar reduction. The fat in the cream will cut the bitterness of coffee, and cream also has a natural sweetness that can help you reduce your sugar consumption. Another reason to ditch the sugar? Research has found that people who drink sugared coffee tend to reach for more unhealthy food than those who drink black coffee.
- Do not use flavored creamers. They are made with unhealthy hydrogenated vegetable oils and contain corn syrup and other harmful chemicals. You do not want to add these to your body as you become your own Health Hero.
