Longevity & Coffee

               Coffee may be one of the most under-rated nootropics out there, and it’s certainly had its fair share of controversy for health.  Everything from caffeine dependency to tolerance levels, experiencing withdrawals, jitters, and dehydration, to name a few.  However, some of the unique factors that are present in coffee have given researchers something to think about.

                A recent study from the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology has found benefits to drinking coffee—even the decaf kind!  It’s long been known that coffee drinkers seem to have less cardiovascular concerns (except if you’re one of those people who are caffeine-sensitive, in which case, you’re better off with decaf to avoid a racing heart).

                What caught the research team off guard was that the mechanisms behind consuming coffee is linked with longer lifespan.  Underlying this longevity benefit is the cardiovascular advantage coffee confers. When the researchers followed adults between 40-69 years old for a period of 12.5 years, they found that the cardiovascular risk reduction was up to 20% in those who drank ground coffee.  Even decaf coffee represented a 6% reduction in cardiovascular risk, followed by a 9% reduction in those who drank instant coffee.

                These results were obtained with two to three cups of coffee per day.  Compared to non-coffee drinkers, the overall lifespan improved.  Researchers are still trying to identify what components of coffee offer these powerful results; but coffee is more than just caffeine. It contains over 100 bioactive compounds.  Until now, it was assumed that only full-power caffeinated coffee could give these results, so it’s great news for decaf consumers to know they can also benefit!

               This study didn’t test for how strong the coffee was made, or standardize the amounts of caffeine that were consumed.  While it’s one more reason to celebrate a beloved beverage, it’s still a good idea to make sure that your caffeine intake is mild to moderate for best overall health and to reduce the negative parts of caffeine use.

Further Reading

David Chieng, Rodrigo Canovas, Louise Segan, et al. The impact of coffee subtypes on incident cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, and mortality: long-term outcomes from the UK Biobank. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2022; DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwac189