Drinking Coffee May Extend Life

Study Suggests but Doesn't Prove Link Between Coffee and Longer Life

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC

June 16, 2008 -- Coffee drinkers, rejoice. While you might be using it for a "pick-me-up," coffee may also be extending your life.

Whether you are on a first-name basis with your barista or simply refueling from the office coffee pot during the day, new research suggests that drinking coffee, even in large amounts, might help you live longer.

Coffee drinkers in the study had slightly lower death rates than non-coffee drinkers over time, whether their drink of choice had caffeine or not.

The findings do not prove that coffee is protective, but they strongly suggest that drinking coffee in large amounts is not harmful if you are healthy, researcher Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD, of the University of Madrid, tells WebMD.

Among women, drinking two to three cups of coffee a day was associated with an 18% reduction in death from all causes, while drinking four to five cups was associated with a 26% reduction in risk.

The risk reduction in men was smaller and could have been due to chance.

"We can't say from this one study that coffee extends your life, but it does appear that it doesn't increase the risk for death for people who are healthy," she says.

The evidence pointing to health benefits for coffee continue to grow, with studies linking regular consumption to a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even health conditions like Parkinson's disease and colon cancer.

But some studies also suggest that drinking caffeinated coffee is associated with an increased risk for heart attack and stroke in people who already have heart disease.

The American Heart Association concludes that the research linking caffeine to health risks is conflicting. The group concludes that moderate coffee consumption, defined as one or two cups a day, "doesn't seem to be harmful."

The few previous studies that have examined the impact of regular coffee drinking on mortality have also been conflicting, Lopez-Garcia says.

In an effort to clarify the issue, Lopez-Garcia and colleagues from the University of Madrid and Harvard University analyzed data from 84,214 women who participated in Harvard's Nurse's Health Study and 41,736 men who participated in the companion study involving male health professionals.

None of the participants had cancer or heart disease at enrollment, and all completed dietary and health questionnaires every two to four years that included questions about coffee consumption, other dietary habits, and smoking status.

During 18 years of follow-up in the men and 24 years of follow-up in the women, roughly 4,500 deaths due to heart disease and 7,500 cancer deaths occurred. An additional 6,000 deaths were due to other causes.

After controlling for other risk factors such as weight, diet, smoking status, and disease status, the researchers concluded that people who drank coffee were less likely to die than those who didn't during the follow-up, and that the risk reduction was attributable to a lower risk for death from heart disease.

No association was seen between coffee drinking and cancer deaths.

The researchers conclude that the finding of a "modest" all-cause and heart disease death benefit for coffee consumption deserves further study.

The research appears in the June 17 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Source: Web MD

Ahhhhhh, as a coffee junkie this makes very welcome reading. And it makes a pleasent change to read about something that actually may be beneficial for you if you consume it, rather than the opposite. It is beginning to seem that if you followed all the advise on foods that may be unsafe/harmful to health, you would starve.

Ahhhhhh, as a coffee junkie this makes very welcome reading. And it makes a pleasent change to read about something that actually may be beneficial for you if you consume it, rather than the opposite. It is beginning to seem that if you followed all the advise on foods that may be unsafe/harmful to health, you would starve.

Nice one. Don't know if anyone remembers Joe Jackson's 'Everything gives you cancer' from 20+ years ago. Written because of the media hype on don't eat this, don't drink that etc.

The only link I could find on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDsqZKgeMck

Coffee is definitely not good for this woman. And, I didn't learn that from a study, but simply by listening to the very overt and non-negotiable signals from my body as early as 18-years-old. It hasn't changed.

However, if you can drink coffee, I agree that there are benefits with moderate consumption of 1 to 2 cups per day. I think any touted benefits over that amount that are "suggested" by the study are BS.

But, that's my satang.

Edited June 22, 200818 yr by kat

i can drink one cup of coffee per day and i am ok, but any more than that and i am an anxious mess. it's definitely not good for people prone to anxiety.

I love coffee but I too feel it really strong physically. If I drink it in the morning I get a nervous antsy feeling, in the afternoon and I am talking non stop for hours and on the evening and I can't sleep! I save it for holidays when being antsy, chatty or sleep deprived isn't as important. God and now I am craving an espresso in some beautiful little palazza in Tuscany. Grr.

I love a good coffee, but it turns me into a raving maniac. Sure, I can drink maybe a cup a month, then I convince myself that all is well. But, it turns. And turns bad.

A pity, as it surges me into overdrive so I can produce fantastic work.

Or so it seems at the time.

Seriously though, does anyone actually get such a buzz fom coffee? I can go days without a cup and I can drink 20 cups on another day without any discernable difference in feeling or behaviour.

Is it just me?

Nope, I don't get caffeine buzzes either Suegha. I have a cup of coffee a day (first thing in the am) and then maybe a few cokes (dr pepper in the US) and never get caffeine buzzes, even if I drink lots more than that. Don't get sugar buzzes either tho.

Too much coffee or cokes will, however, make my stomach hurt. Too much ibuprofen on an empty stomach gave me stomach issues

Seriously though, does anyone actually get such a buzz fom coffee? I can go days without a cup and I can drink 20 cups on another day without any discernable difference in feeling or behaviour.

Is it just me?

I get a horrific buzz from coffee. Everything in my world goes into overdrive. Problem is, so does my heart, my temper, and my chatter (but not every time). I'm more creative, I get a ton of work done, and if I'm outside, I walk like I'm on speed. Just can't sit still.

Loving the taste of coffee, I envy people who can have a cappuccino before going to bed. But if I have coffee close to lunchtime, I won't be able to get to sleep without assistance. And at times, nothing works to get me to sleep.

Somewhere in my late 20's or early 30's coffee started turning on me. I went from ten plus cups a day, down to one or two. Then it all escalated during the haze in SE Asia. I became super allergic to cats and rabbits, and even more sensitive to coffee. I'm finally ok with cats (mine are now inside). But coffee has continued affect me. Occasionally I do give it another try though...

(I'm also a lightweight with drugs of all kinds... but that's always been so)

Seriously though, does anyone actually get such a buzz fom coffee? I can go days without a cup and I can drink 20 cups on another day without any discernable difference in feeling or behaviour.

Is it just me?

I can't do it. I wish I could, because I love the taste of coffee. If I wasn't so sensitive, I would easily be a coffee maniac, but my chemistry is just not right for it. At most, I can tolerate one cup a day, for about 3 days straight, before the great migraine plague starts to waft slowly my way. I get the shakes too, and sometimes feel like I have to reel myself in with some effort.

Drinking Coffee May Extend Life

Study Suggests but Doesn't Prove Link Between Coffee and Longer Life

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC

June 16, 2008 -- Coffee drinkers, rejoice. While you might be using it for a "pick-me-up," coffee may also be extending your life.

Whether you are on a first-name basis with your barista or simply refueling from the office coffee pot during the day, new research suggests that drinking coffee, even in large amounts, might help you live longer.

Coffee drinkers in the study had slightly lower death rates than non-coffee drinkers over time, whether their drink of choice had caffeine or not.

The findings do not prove that coffee is protective, but they strongly suggest that drinking coffee in large amounts is not harmful if you are healthy, researcher Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD, of the University of Madrid, tells WebMD.

Among women, drinking two to three cups of coffee a day was associated with an 18% reduction in death from all causes, while drinking four to five cups was associated with a 26% reduction in risk.

The risk reduction in men was smaller and could have been due to chance.

"We can't say from this one study that coffee extends your life, but it does appear that it doesn't increase the risk for death for people who are healthy," she says.

The evidence pointing to health benefits for coffee continue to grow, with studies linking regular consumption to a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even health conditions like Parkinson's disease and colon cancer.

But some studies also suggest that drinking caffeinated coffee is associated with an increased risk for heart attack and stroke in people who already have heart disease.

The American Heart Association concludes that the research linking caffeine to health risks is conflicting. The group concludes that moderate coffee consumption, defined as one or two cups a day, "doesn't seem to be harmful."

The few previous studies that have examined the impact of regular coffee drinking on mortality have also been conflicting, Lopez-Garcia says.

In an effort to clarify the issue, Lopez-Garcia and colleagues from the University of Madrid and Harvard University analyzed data from 84,214 women who participated in Harvard's Nurse's Health Study and 41,736 men who participated in the companion study involving male health professionals.

None of the participants had cancer or heart disease at enrollment, and all completed dietary and health questionnaires every two to four years that included questions about coffee consumption, other dietary habits, and smoking status.

During 18 years of follow-up in the men and 24 years of follow-up in the women, roughly 4,500 deaths due to heart disease and 7,500 cancer deaths occurred. An additional 6,000 deaths were due to other causes.

After controlling for other risk factors such as weight, diet, smoking status, and disease status, the researchers concluded that people who drank coffee were less likely to die than those who didn't during the follow-up, and that the risk reduction was attributable to a lower risk for death from heart disease.

No association was seen between coffee drinking and cancer deaths.

The researchers conclude that the finding of a "modest" all-cause and heart disease death benefit for coffee consumption deserves further study.

The research appears in the June 17 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Source: Web MD

Thank god, Im a total addict!!

I use coffee like a controlled substance.

Yesterday I had a piercing migraine on one side of my head because I've been eating badly. It was like a sore swelling area over my eye, inside. So, I know that coffee dilates the blood vessels in the brain and increases oxygen, so I had a cup. Worked like a charm. This only works on migraines if you don't usually drink coffee. The paradox is if I drink coffee too often, it brings on the migraines.

At least I can win sometimes.

OK, now this news is astounding, and a reason to drink coffee:

http://www.byrdinstitute.org/news/institut...s/09-13-06.aspx

Caffeine Reduces Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

09.13.06

TAMPA – If you think that your daily cups of coffee only provide you with alertness after you wake up or during the day, think again. Long-term intake of caffeine, the major constituent in coffee and tea, has been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s in mice that develop the disease. In a study just published on-line in the journal Neuroscience, researchers at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute in Tampa, Florida, are reporting that caffeine intake equivalent to five cups of coffee a day in humans, protects Alzheimer’s mice against otherwise certain memory impairment and reduces Alzheimer’s pathology in their brains.

An earlier study in humans hinted that caffeine was protective against Alzheimer’s disease by showing that Alzheimer’s patients consumed markedly less caffeine during the 20 years preceding disease diagnosis compared with age-matched individuals without Alzheimer’s disease.

“We wanted to test the ability of dietary caffeine intake to protect against Alzheimer’s disease in a highly controlled study in Alzheimer’s mice where the only variable that was different between groups was whether caffeine was in their drinking water or not,” says Dr. Gary Arendash, Ph.D, lead researcher in the study. “We were surprised to find that Alzheimer’s mice given caffeine in their drinking water throughout adult life performed much better than Alzheimer’s mice not given caffeine and very similar to normal mice without the disease,” adds Arendash.

Not only was the memory of Alzheimer’s mice protected by the human equivalent of five cups of coffee per day (500 mg/day), but levels of an abnormal brain protein that most researchers believe causes the disease were reduced. This abnormal protein, called beta-amyloid, is formed by the actions of two enzymes on a much larger protein called APP, which extends through the cell membrane of brain cells. The two enzymes (BACE and PS1) cut APP in specific places, resulting in beta-amyloid formation. Once formed, beta-amyloid molecules aggregate into “plaques” within the brain, causing death and dysfunction of cells, especially in brain areas important for learning and memory. The researchers found that caffeine reduces the level of both BACE and PS1 enzymes, thus resulting in much less of the dangerous beta-amyloid protein.

(article continues at the link above)