London:
Researchers have claimed that coffee habit may help you live longer. A new study that tracked the health and coffee consumption of more than 400,000 older adults for nearly 14 years found that coffee drinkers were less likely to die than their counterparts who eschewed the brew. In fact, the study claims, men and women who averaged four or five cups of coffee per day had the lowest risk of death.
The study says coffee drinkers have lowest risk of death from a number of different ailments, such as heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries, accidents, diabetes and infections.
However, critics said it's biologically implausible that coffee drinkers would be less likely to die in accidents. They also advised pregnant women to drink coffee moderately. The researchers said they cannot establish whether coffee is the cause of a lowered risk of death, but they found an "inverse association" between coffee consumption and death.
The research was carried out between 1995 and 2008 and it followed a large number of people, 229,000 men and 173,000 women who were classified into groups drinking up to six cups a day or more, and non-coffee drinkers. There were 52,000 deaths during the period. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that there was a marginal difference for men drinking one cup per day, but two drinking two to three cups a day were 10 per cent less likely to die, those drinking four or five cups per day were 12 per cent less likely to die than non coffee drinkers.
Lead author Dr Neal Freedman, from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, US, said, "Given the observational nature of our study, it is not possible to conclude that the inverse relationship between coffee consumption and mortality reflects cause and effect."
"However, we can speculate about plausible mechanisms by which coffee consumption might have health benefits. Coffee contains more than 1000 compounds that might affect the risk of death." Experts said it is unlikely that the caffeine ingredient giving health benefits, but there are known direct biological effects from antioxidants and magnesium contained in coffee.
Dr Euan Paul, executive director of the British Coffee Association said: "This important research adds to the overwhelming weight of evidence which demonstrates that moderate coffee consumption of 4-5 cups of coffee per day is safe and may be associated with certain health benefits."
Experts said it is unlikely that the caffeine ingredient giving health benefits, but there are known direct biological effects from antioxidants and magnesium contained in coffee.
The study says coffee drinkers have lowest risk of death from a number of different ailments, such as heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries, accidents, diabetes and infections.
However, critics said it's biologically implausible that coffee drinkers would be less likely to die in accidents. They also advised pregnant women to drink coffee moderately. The researchers said they cannot establish whether coffee is the cause of a lowered risk of death, but they found an "inverse association" between coffee consumption and death.
The research was carried out between 1995 and 2008 and it followed a large number of people, 229,000 men and 173,000 women who were classified into groups drinking up to six cups a day or more, and non-coffee drinkers. There were 52,000 deaths during the period. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that there was a marginal difference for men drinking one cup per day, but two drinking two to three cups a day were 10 per cent less likely to die, those drinking four or five cups per day were 12 per cent less likely to die than non coffee drinkers.
Lead author Dr Neal Freedman, from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, US, said, "Given the observational nature of our study, it is not possible to conclude that the inverse relationship between coffee consumption and mortality reflects cause and effect."
"However, we can speculate about plausible mechanisms by which coffee consumption might have health benefits. Coffee contains more than 1000 compounds that might affect the risk of death." Experts said it is unlikely that the caffeine ingredient giving health benefits, but there are known direct biological effects from antioxidants and magnesium contained in coffee.
Dr Euan Paul, executive director of the British Coffee Association said: "This important research adds to the overwhelming weight of evidence which demonstrates that moderate coffee consumption of 4-5 cups of coffee per day is safe and may be associated with certain health benefits."
Experts said it is unlikely that the caffeine ingredient giving health benefits, but there are known direct biological effects from antioxidants and magnesium contained in coffee.
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