Keep drinking that coffee, science says it’s actually super good for you

As if we needed a reason to drink coffee: The American Journal of Epidemiology published the findings of a 10-year study that states coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers! Now I can run to my local coffee shop and order that soy latte with pride.

According to the study’s lead author Dr. Erikka Loftfield of the National Cancer Institute, coffee consists of compounds such as phenolic acids, potassium, and caffeine. In a separate and earlier study, information was collected of 90,317 adults who didn’t have any history of cancer or cardiovascular disease between 1998 and 2009. (No wonder researchers wanted to study them!) In the new study, researchers asked these 90,317 adults about their coffee intake, along with their diet and overall health. Loftfield and her fellow authors quickly realized that an increase in coffee consumption was directly related to reduction in the risk of death.

While past research has linked coffee consumption to lower risk of certain cancers, such as liver cancer, this study identified no link between coffee drinking and overall cancer mortality. “This may be because coffee reduces mortality risk for some cancers but not others,” Dr. Loftfield said in Reuters Health.

The jury is still out on exactly how coffee consumption lowers risk of death, but the researchers hypothesize the beverage “may reduce mortality risk by favorably affecting inflammation, lung function, insulin sensitivity, and depression.”

Consumption of just two to three cups of coffee daily (easy, peasy!) reduces the mortality risk by around 18% in comparison to those people who don’t drink coffee. Furthermore, those who consumed four to five cups of coffee daily were exposed to the least risk of death. It’s time to stop teasing all our friends who can’t be seen without a Starbucks cup.

(Image via Warner Bros. Television.)