Reviewed by Dietitian Sarah Pflugradt, Ph.D., RDN, CSCS
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Key Points
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Research has indicated that drinking coffee may increase health span by two years.
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Coffee contains antioxidants that may help protect against chronic conditions.
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Stick with 2-3 cups/day of coffee and limit added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Coffee sure has made the rounds regarding its health status. Many years ago, it was thought to be a noxious habit. More recently, however, evidence is mounting toward its beneficial effects on health. If you’re a coffee drinker, you know one benefit is that it gets things moving in the morning (buh-bye constipation!). But that’s just the tip of the coffee bean.
Drinking coffee has also been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and it may help your thyroid work better. You’ve probably also noticed that a cup of joe can make you feel happier and more energetic.
But what about longevity? Could that coffee habit help you live longer? Researchers in Portugal wanted to know, too, so they did a large review of existing studies to see what research to date has shown; here’s what they found.
What Do We Know About Coffee and Health?
These researchers combed through studies and meta-analyses that had previously been published and compiled them into this one review. This was a very involved and thorough review—the researchers analyzed data from more than 50 studies done in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
First, they discussed the aging process and how various bodily systems tend to deteriorate as we age, including how this affects the way we interact within our environment. For example, eyesight and hearing tend to be reduced as we age, which can influence how quickly we age if they’re not tended to.
They went on to discuss how coffee contains over 2,000 potentially bioactive substances, many of which act like antioxidants. Of course, coffee also contains caffeine.
Researchers then went on to investigate what studies suggest coffee’s influence is on life span, as well as diseases, conditions and health habits that affect life span—like heart disease, cancer, stroke and respiratory diseases. They also looked at coffee’s impact on cognition, depression and sleep. Then to go even further, they examined evidence of coffee’s impact on the body at the cellular level.
What Did This Review Find?
Ultimately there was one overarching finding. Regular coffee consumption seems to increase not just life span, but also health span (quality of life), by decreasing the incidence of the primary age-associated diseases that contribute to early death.
They concluded that regularly drinking coffee was associated with preserving muscular, cardiovascular, mental and immune system functions. And it reduces the risk of diseases that commonly affect the elderly, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, dementia, major depression and frailty.
Regularly drinking coffee may even help you better adapt to stressful situations. And when you can gracefully handle stress—and nix some of your stressors—you reduce your disease risk and may live longer.
Bringing all the evidence together, regular coffee drinkers may enjoy an extra two years of life. And it’s not just more years, but years with good health. Because really, what good is a longer life if you don’t also have a good quality of life?
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
Like most things, more is not necessarily better, and this is true with coffee. The researchers found that the sweet spot tends to be between 2 and 3 cups per day. If you overdo it, you may experience anxiety, sleeplessness, jitteriness and racing heart rate—to name a few. And the health benefits don’t increase with more, and they may even diminish.
There are a few caveats to note. First, most research on coffee has been done on younger people, under age 65. So the researchers could not necessarily transfer some of the findings to older adults. For example, they couldn’t say with any level of certainty that regularly drinking coffee will reduce heart disease risk in healthy 80-year-olds since many of the studies were done on young and middle-aged adults.
Many of the studies were observational, so coffee intake was recorded by participants (like as part of a food diary). This means that researchers depended on participants being honest about their coffee intake—including the amount of coffee they drank and whether the coffee was black or contained cream, sugar, flavor shots, artificial sweeteners, etc.
These researchers note that tea and chocolate have similar bioactive components to coffee, so if you’re not a coffee drinker, don’t feel like you need to start a java habit just for the benefits. We’ve previously reported on other health habits that have also shown an association with living longer—like replacing sitting time with light physical activity.
Our Expert Take
Scientists aren’t yet sure what components in coffee are responsible for all these health benefits—the bioactive compounds or the caffeine. It might be a little bit of both, but more research is needed to figure that out. They’re also still trying to figure out through what mechanisms coffee benefits the body. One pathway they’re leaning toward is that black coffee may reduce inflammation. And when we have lower inflammation, we have a lower risk of disease.
Until scientists figure it all out, know that your coffee habit might help you enjoy a longer life. Just skip the flavor boosters—at least most of the time—since we know that too much added sugar, saturated fat and artificial sweeteners can wreak havoc on health over time. Also, focus on other health habits known to reduce disease risk and potentially add years to your life. This includes eating a varied, balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, managing your stressors, getting plenty of quality sleep and spending time with loved ones.
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