Fuel up on Coffee for Longevity

According to a new study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers and colleagues, drinking three to five cups of coffee a day may decrease the likelihood of dying prematurely. The team studied data collected from over 200,000 men and women, who had filled out validated food questionnaires, for up to approximately 30 years. Consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee were associated with health benefits, which included a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases (such as Parkinson’s Disease), type 2 diabetes, and suicide. “Bioactive compounds in coffee reduce insulin resistance and systematic inflammation,” said first author Ming Ding, a doctoral student in the Department of Nutrition. “That could explain some of our findings. However, more studies are needed to investigate the biological mechanisms producing these effects.”