While there exists conflicting reports when it comes to the health benefits of coffee, the results of a recent study indicate that those who regularly indulge in a caffeine hit are less likely to die of certain diseases including heart disease and diabetes.
The findings, which are the result of a 10-year study in the United States, highlight a pattern among coffee drinkers, and appear to suggest that the consumption of coffee can be associated with a lower risk of heart-related mortality.
Data, which was initially collected during a study of over 90,000 adults between 1998 and 2009, was analysed for the current study and indicates that of the 8,700 participants who died during the initial study; less coffee drinkers died than non-coffee drinkers.
According to the findings, those who drank between four and five cups of coffee a day were at the lowest risk of death - a statistic which could also be applied to consumers of decaffeinated coffee.
Commenting on the chemical composition of the much-loved beverage, lead author Dr. Erikka Loftfield of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland explained: "Coffee contains numerous biologically active compounds, including phenolic acids, potassium, and caffeine."
However, while researchers did establish that coffee drinkers had a reduced risk of death from diabetes, pneumonia, heart disease and chronic respiratory disease, the same cannot be said for cancer,
Reflecting on this, Dr. Loftfield asserted: "Although coffee drinking has also been inversely associated with incidence of certain cancers, like liver, in epidemiological studies, we did not observe an association between coffee and overall cancer mortality. This may be because coffee reduces mortality risk for some cancers but not others."
Researchers ultimately concluded that individuals who consumed two to three cups of coffee per day had an 18% lower risk of death from aforementioned conditions than those who abstain.
The study has been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
