A new study found that adults who drink three or more cups of coffee daily have nearly a 30% lower risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and respiratory diseases than those who don’t drink coffee.
On Monday, researchers from Tokyo Medical University in Japan, led by Saito Eiko, published findings from an 18-year and 7-month follow-up study involving 90,914 Japanese adults aged 40 to 69 without prior histories of cancer, cerebrovascular disease, or ischemic heart disease. The study spanned from 1990 to 2011.
To isolate the effects of coffee, the research team excluded participants who consumed other caffeine sources such as green tea, black tea, and carbonated beverages.
The study did not differentiate between types of coffee consumed, including instant, canned, or brewed varieties.
Using non-coffee drinkers as the baseline with a mortality risk 1, the researchers found that those who drank less than one cup daily had a risk of 0.91. The risk decreased to 0.85 for those consuming 1-2 cups and 0.76 for those drinking 3-4 cups.
Interestingly, the mortality risk of dying slightly increased to 0.85 for those consuming more than five cups daily. The researchers noted that this group tended to have higher smoking rates, which may account for the uptick.
The team attributed these health benefits to chlorogenic acid, a phenolic compound in coffee that slows glucose absorption and lowers blood pressure, potentially preventing heart and cerebrovascular diseases. They also highlighted coffee’s pyridinium content, which has anti-thrombotic effects, reducing the risk of cerebrovascular diseases and overall mortality.
Regarding respiratory health, the researchers explained that caffeine acts similarly to bronchodilators, potentially enhancing lung function at appropriate doses.
While acknowledging coffee’s numerous bioactive compounds and the well-documented benefits of caffeine and chlorogenic acid, the researchers emphasized the need for further studies to understand better the impact of individual coffee components on early mortality.
These groundbreaking findings were published in the March issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.