Drinking coffee would lower the risk of premature death. Good news for consumers of coffee comes from Harvard University (United States): a team of researchers conducted a study showing reduced risk of dying prematurelycompared to those who drink less coffee or none at all. But how much coffee should you drink to benefit from these effects? About 3-5 cups a day.
Researchers examined data derived from monitoring the health status of about 160 thousand women and 40 thousand men, for over 30 years. In order to measure their coffee consumption, participants completed questionnaires about their eating habits every 4 years.
The results proved of greater benefits for those who drank 3-5 cups of coffee a day and did not smoke: the risk of premature death was a result lower than 8-15%.
The protective effects of decaffeinated coffee
Good news for those who consume decaf coffee: its effect would remain protective even in the absence of caffeine. 3-5 cups a day would reduce the incidence of premature deaths from type 2 diabetes, neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and cardiovascular diseases.
Although further research is needed to be done to better understand the biological mechanism underlying this protective effect, scientists say, however, that the coffee contains bio-active substances such as antioxidants and magnesium that reduce insulin resistance and inflammation.From the research conducted derives a simple conclusion: “That coffee can be part of a healthy diet “, subscribed its authors.
The research published in Circulation is only the latest of the many studies that have shown the protective effects of coffee on health. A few months ago, an Italian study conducted in collaboration with the Higher Institute of Health concluded that coffee can reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment. “For about 15 years, the idea of the protective effects of coffee against the risk of developing dementia, have circulated. It was discussed at length whether caffeine is responsible for this phenomenon, “says Professor Alberto Albanian, head of the Unit of Neurology at Humanitas hospital.
Coffee has beneficial effects on the liver
Among other effects of coffee, research has documented the benefits that its consumption would have on the liver by reducing the presence of abnormal liver enzymes. “Other publications on animal models and epidemiological studies have demonstrated for years the protective power of coffee against the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease”, adds Dr. Giovanni Covini, Hepatologist and Head of Surgeries Check-Up at Humanitas.
But when it comes to coffee, there is a fundamental aspect in relation to doses: excessive consumption of coffee is in fact risky and can cause, among other things, insomnia and agitation.
