Study: Regularly Drinking Coffee Can Increase The Age Of 2 Years

Illustration of a cup of coffee (Photo: Pexels/Madison Inouye)

JAKARTA - The cup of coffee in the morning is often an inseparable part of the routine of many people. Apart from providing energy, it turns out that coffee also has extraordinary health benefits.

A recent study reveals that regular coffee consumption can make a person's life longer and healthier. Drinking coffee can increase the age of up to 2 years.

A team from the University of Coumbra in Portugal examined 85 previous studies involving participants from Europe, America, Australia and Asia. They analyze the relationship between coffee consumption and mortality rates and health indicators.

Overall, their analysis shows that consuming about three cups of coffee per day is associated with an additional 1.84-year-old average of a person's lifespan.

Regular consumption of coffee is also associated with an increased life expectancy, namely time spent living free from serious illness.

"Traditional clinical recommendations sometimes ignore the role of coffee in healthy aging," said Rodrigo Cunha, a neurologist from the University of Coumbra, quoted by VOI from the Science Alert page on Saturday, December 14, 2024.

"Our presentation emphasizes that regular and moderate coffee consumption can help fight biological mechanisms, which naturally slow down or fail with age. This can trigger various health problems and comorbidities," he added.

Because it includes many studies, there are various variables that need to be considered, such as the type of coffee consumed, the demographic characteristics of participants, to the duration of the study. The benefits of coffee can be different for each individual, and the possibility of these benefits not only comes from coffee alone.

However, the relationship between coffee consumption and health improvement is quite consistent in this study. By involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers, this research coverage is one of its strengths.

The researchers analyzed health indicators such as inflammation and metabolism, as well as considered other factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption to further separate the effects of drinking coffee.

"Private consumption routinely appears to be related to the maintenance of muscle, cardiovascular, mental, and immune system functions," the researchers wrote in their paper.

"Coffeees also appear to have an inverse connection with disease incidents that often attack the elderly, such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, stroke, several types of cancer, diabetes, dementia, severe depression, or physical weakness," he continued.

It is important to note that many of these studies are based on personal reports on coffee consumption, and the study is funded by the Institute for Scientific Information of Coffee. This nonprofit organization is supported by a large international coffee company.

In addition, this study does not prove direct causal-effective relationships. Too many other factors may be involved in stating coffee and caffeine are the only causes of longer and healthier life.

However, these findings are in line with previous studies showing coffee can protect against heart disease, reduce the negative effects of sitting too long, and increase lifespan.

"We know that the world's population is aging faster than ever, making it increasingly important to explore dietary interventions that allow people not only to live longer but also healthier." concluded Cunha.