Coffee may perk up your life expectancy, study suggests

Coffee drinkers may get an added pep up from their morning cup of Joe!  Coffee drinkers are less likely to die during a 7-year follow-up period, compared to non-coffee drinkers, according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.  

Adults, who drank 1.5 to 3.5 cups of unsweetened coffee or coffee sweetened with sugar per day, were less likely to die than those who did not imbibe in the traditional morning ritual drink.  The study authors said the results were not as clear for those who used artificial sweeteners in their coffee. 

Dr. Dan Liu, the author of the cohort study, said in the release, “Our study found that adults who drank moderate amounts of coffee sweetened with sugar every day were about 30% less likely to die from any cause during the average seven-year follow-up period compared to coffee non-drinkers.” 

Roasted Coffee Beans background, Brown coffee beans for can be used as a background
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The researchers out of Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, said that previous studies found that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of death, but the studies did not differentiate between coffee drinkers that consume coffee without sugar and those that used sugar or artificial sweeteners in their beverage, according to a news release.

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The researchers collected data from the U.K. Biobank study health behavior questionnaire. The group of investigators asked more than 171,000 participants without known heart disease or cancer, several dietary and health behavior questions to determine coffee consumption habits, the study release said. 

Pouring milk in black coffee
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During the 7-year follow-up period, the researchers found those who drank any amount of unsweetened coffee, were 16 to 21 percent less likely to die than the non-coffee drinkers. Participants, who drank 1.5 to 3.5 daily cups of coffee sweetened with an average of 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup, were 29 to 31 percent less likely to die than non-coffee drinkers, according to the study. The findings were inconclusive for participants who used artificial sweeteners. 

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The study authors warned that although the findings suggest most coffee drinkers may not have to eliminate the beverage from their diet, they should be cautious when it comes to higher calorie specialty coffees. 

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The researchers noted that the average amount of daily sugar per cup of coffee included in the study analysis is significantly lower than the amount found in specialty drinks at popular coffee chain restaurants, which make comparisons to non-coffee drinkers more difficult, the release said.