Want to live longer? Drink coffee! Want to reduce the risk of diseases like coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure and strokes? Drink more coffee.
That’s what a couple of observational studies are saying.
So, how much coffee do we need to drink to achieve these benefits? According to one study by the Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, two to three cups a day is linked to a longer lifespan and lower risk of heart disease. These benefits were compared to non-coffee drinkers.
What’s interesting is that caffeine wasn’t a key biological component responsible for these amazing health benefits. This was evident with the inclusion of decaffeinated coffee in the findings. However, caffeine was associated with a reduction in irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia while decaf was not.
Also, if you like a teaspoon of sugar with your coffee, fret not. Another study concluded participants who added a teaspoon of sugar to their coffee were 30% less likely to die than non-coffee drinkers.
These findings were tracked over an average of seven years.
Keep in mind, this was simply one teaspoon of sugar and not a green light for us to add more sugar to our brew. As for how many cups of coffee do the benefits taper off, the average is 4.5 cups per day. Not bad, considering half of coffee drinkers average between 3-5 cups a day.
These two studies were conducted with thousands of participants and over many years with the first one averaging 12.5 years. The findings are good news for coffee drinkers. It’s a good feeling knowing something we love drinking several times a day is good for our health.