Science Says Drinking Coffee Leads to a Longer Life

Good news for those of you with a three-cup-a-day habit like me: Scientists have found that people who drink coffee appear to live longer.

Yeah, science!

Researchers from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and the Keck School of Medicine used data from the Multiethnic Cohort Study, whcih examined the lifestyle risk factors that may lead to cancer in more than 215,000 participants.

They discovered that drinking coffee was associated with a lower risk of death due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory and kidney disease for African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Latinos, and whites.

In fact, people who drank one cup of coffee a day (either caffeinated or decaf) were 12 percent less likely to die prematurely compared to those who didn’t drink coffee. And get this: The association was even stronger for those who drank two to three cups a day, who were 18 percent less likely to die early.

“Seeing a similar pattern across different populations gives stronger biological backing to the argument that coffee is good for you whether you are white, African-American, Latino, or Asian,” explained lead study author Veronica W. Setiawan, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Keck. “We cannot say drinking coffee will prolong your life, but we see an association.”

Pretty interesting, right? And since coffee contains antioxidants that play an important role in cancer prevention, Setiawan said that even without causation, it’s clear that coffee can be incorporated into a healthy diet and lifestyle.

“If you like to drink coffee, drink up!” she explained. “If you’re not a coffee drinker, then you need to consider if you should start.”

You don’t have to tell me twice!

ARTICLE: Parents.com