Three Cups a Day Could Add Two Years to Your Life

A large new review suggests that regular, moderate coffee drinking could add about two years to life expectancy. A team from the University of Coimbra in Portugal analyzed past studies and concluded that people who drink coffee regularly tend to live longer on average.

What Did the Scientists Discover?

The researchers examined data from 85 previous studies involving participants from Europe, America, Australia, and Asia, analyzing the connection between coffee consumption and health and mortality rates.

Overall, the analysis found that consuming about three cups of coffee a day is associated with an increase in life expectancy of approximately 1.84 years. It also showed a link between regular coffee drinking and an increase in healthy life expectancy — the number of years a person lives without serious illness.

The team looked into the relationship between coffee and key health indicators. “Traditional clinical recommendations sometimes overlook the role of coffee in healthy aging,” noted neuroscientist Rodrigo Cunha, the lead researcher.

“The new review focused on the role of regular moderate coffee consumption in countering biological mechanisms that naturally slow down or malfunction as we age,” Cunha added.

There are many variables to consider, such as the types of coffee consumed, the demographics of the participants, and how long the studies ran. Results varied between groups, and it’s possible that the observed increase in life expectancy isn’t solely due to coffee, ScienceAlert reported.

However, the team found a significant connection between coffee consumption and better health. Because the review included hundreds of thousands of volunteers, its large sample size strengthens the findings.

The researchers analyzed health indicators such as inflammation and metabolism, and they controlled for factors like smoking and alcohol consumption to isolate the effects of coffee.

“Regular coffee consumption is associated with the preservation of muscle, cardiovascular, mental, and immune system functions. It is also likely inversely related to the frequency of common diseases that affect older adults, such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, stroke, certain types of cancer, diabetes, dementia, severe depression, or frailty,” the scientists wrote in their report.

The findings line up with earlier research suggesting coffee may help protect against heart disease, reduce the harms of prolonged sitting, and modestly extend life.

“We know the global population is aging faster than ever, so it’s important to study dietary interventions that help people not only live longer but also live healthier lives,” Cunha said.

The results were published in the journal Ageing Research Reviews.