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Categories: Health Stuff
Coffee. Is there anything it can’t do? In addition to providing that much-needed boost in the morning, previous studies have found that coffee can reduce stress and the risk of suffering from strokes, breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Now, it seems the beloved beverage can help people live longer as well.
Researchers came to this conclusion after analyzing data from the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study. The study, which began in 1995 and ended in 2008, followed 173,141 women and 229,119 men and examined respondents’ coffee-drinking habits, among other things.
After sorting respondents by level of coffee consumption, researchers made a surprising discovery – the men and women who drank six or more cups of coffee a day had a significantly lower risk of death than folks who drank less, even if they only drank decaf.
More specifically, men who swilled coffee had a 10% lower risk of death then men who stayed away from the popular beverage, while women had a 15% lower risk of death.
So what makes coffee a potentially life-extending beverage?
“There are an estimated 1,000 different compounds in coffee that can have a range of effects,” said lead researcher Dr. Neil Freedman. “Coffee also has a lot of antioxidants and many other compounds are associated with inflammation and insulin resistance.”
Of course, as is always the case with such studies, scientists say they need to perform additional research before making any definite conclusions.