Like a lot of people, I can’t function in the morning without a cup of coffee. Now two studies suggest that drinking coffee might have even more powerful, lasting effects - reducing the risk of death from heart disease, stroke, cancer and other diseases related to blood circulation and digestion.
People who drink coffee appear to live longer. What a relief!
An American study that examined 185,855 people (African-American, Japanese-American, Latinos and whites) found that the more coffee people drank the less likely they were to die than people who did not drink coffee.
One cup a day: 12 percent less likely.
Two or three cups a day: 16 percent less likely.
Four or more cups a day: 18 percent less likely.
Heart, cancer, respiratory, stroke, diabetes and kidney deaths were all reduced, said researchers at the University of Southern California who analyzed data from the Multiethnic Cohort Study, a combined effort of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and USC’s Keck School of Medicine.
A European study that examined the health and coffee-drinking habits of 521,330 people from 10 countries produced similar results.
Among men, the top 25 percent in daily coffee consumption: 12 percent less likely.
Among women, the top 25 percent in daily coffee consumption: 7 percent less likely.
Coffee was associated with reduced digestive disease deaths in both men and women, according to results provided by researchers at the Imperial College London and International Agency for Research on Cancer who analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Circulatory and cerebrovascular disease mortality was reduced in women, but ovarian cancer mortality was increased.
Coffee, with an estimated 2.25 billion cups consumed every day, is one of the world’s favorite drinks. It contains caffeine, antioxidants, diterpenes and other compounds that contribute to both its unique flavor and physiological effects.
Most clinicians think of coffee as a source of caffeine and as a potential cause of palpitations, but these studies offer evidence that coffee contains other compounds with potentially beneficial health effects.
The studies are only observational, but the enormous sample sizes and methods give them credibility. If caffeinated coffee worsens palpitations, decaffeinated coffee may be just as beneficial.
These studies can reassure us that our coffee habit may be more beneficial than harmful. It might even suggest that an increase from no coffee to some coffee may be beneficial.
Dr. Paul Thompson is co-physician-in-chief of the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute, which includes cardiology services at the Hospital of Central Connecticut and MidState Medical Center.
Click here to view original web page at www.bristolpress.com
