Coffee May Help Extend Longevity

"In this large, observational study, ground, instant, and decaffeinated coffee were associated with equivalent reductions in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiovascular disease or any cause," said study author Professor Peter Kistler of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia. "The results suggest that mild to moderate intake of ground, instant, and decaffeinated coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle."

This study examined the impact of different coffee preparations on heart health and survival using data from the UK Biobank involving 449, 563 adults between the ages of 40-69 years of age who were free of arrhythmias or other cardiovascular diseases at the beginning of the study. Participants filled out questionnaires on how much coffee they drank and what kind they drank on a daily basis. Using this information the participants were grouped into 6 daily intake categories: None, less than one, one, two-three, four-five, and more than five cups per day. 

44.1% of the participant's usual type of coffee was instant, 18.4% drank ground, 15.2% drank decaffeinated, and 22.4% did not drink coffee at all which served as controls. Coffee drinkers were compared to the controls for incidence of arrhythmias, cardiovascular disease, and death after adjusting for a variety of factors including gender, age, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, ethnicity, smoking status, and obstructive sleep apnea, as well as tea and alcohol consumption. 

Participants were followed for a median of 12.5 years, and their outcomes were obtained from medical records and death records. 6.2% of the participants died during the follow-up.

According to the researchers, all types of coffee were linked to a reduction in death from any cause. The greatest benefit appeared to be seen in those drinking 2-3 cups per day, drinking coffee was associated with a 27% reduction while abstinence was associated with a 14% reduction, ground coffee and instant preparations were associated with an 11% lower likelihood of death.

During the follow up an arrhythmia was diagnosed in 6.7% of the participants. Ground and instant coffee were associated with a reduction in arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, but this reduction was not seen in decaffeinated coffees. The greatest benefit appeared to be seen in drinking four to five cups per day of ground coffee with it being associated with a 17% reduced risk compared to drinking none and drinking 2-3 cups of instant coffee per day was associated with a 12% lower likelihood of death compared to drinking none. 

During the follow up 9.6% of the participants were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. All coffee subtypes were associated with a reduction in the incidence of CVD. When compared to drinking none the greatest benefit appeared to be seen in drinking 2-3 cups of coffee per day was associated with a 20% reduction in risk while abstinence was associated with 6%, and drinking decaffeinated, ground and instant coffee preparations were associated with a 9% reduced likelihood for cardiovascular disease. 

"Caffeine is the most well-known constituent in coffee, but the beverage contains more than 100 biologically active components. It is likely that the non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the positive relationships observed between coffee drinking, cardiovascular disease, and survival. Our findings indicate that drinking modest amounts of coffee of all types should not be discouraged but can be enjoyed as a heart-healthy behaviour,” said Professor Kistler.