Study Links Daily Coffee Consumption to Increased Lifespan

Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages. In the United States, more than half of all adults consume it on a daily basis. Of course, there's a good reason for its popularity: coffee contains high concentrations of caffeine, making it the perfect pick-me-up for those earning morning hours when you struggle to get going. 

For the study, researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) recruited more than 180,000 participants, paying close attention to their coffee consumption and overall health. At the end of the study, researchers concluded that participants who consumed at least one cup of coffee a day were 12% less likely to die from all causes than their counterparts who did not drink coffee.

What's even more surprising, however, is that participants who consumed three cups of coffee were 18% less likely to die than non-coffee-drinkers.

It wasn't just traditional caffeinated coffee that offered these benefits; researchers found that decaffeinated coffee also increased the average lifespan of participants.

As explained by the study's authors, this study involved an ethnically diverse group of participants. Therefore, researchers believe the same effects will ring true regardless of ethnicity. "Seeing a similar pattern across four different populations gives stronger biological backing to the argument that coffee is good for you whether you are white, African-American, Latino or Asian," wrote the study's authors.

This isn't the first study suggesting that coffee has health benefits. Other studies have linked regular coffee consumption to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and Parkinson's disease. This study was unique, however, because it was said to be the largest of its kind.

So, what should you take away from this study? Coffee isn't just a great beverage to get you going in the morning. While it certainly provides energy while fighting fatigue, it offers some very health benefits. This study specifically focused on the mortality rate of coffee drinkers vs non-coffee-drinkers, revealing that people who drink coffee are less likely to die.

But if you want to reap the health benefits of coffee, you should avoid filling your coffee with too much cream or sugar. A small amount of sugar or Stevia to make it less bitter is perfectly fine, but filling your coffee with heaps of processed sugar pretty much negates all of its health benefits.

This study was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.