Many articles and health expert say that two to three cups of coffee daily is the right amount of coffee consumption every individual should take. However, a lot of us were asking if we can have another cup or more, and this stir up heated arguments whether it’s good or bad to drink three more cups of coffee a day?
A new study found by the scientists from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. revealed the findings of a ten-year study involving more than 10,000 people. The study showed that the more coffee people drank, whether it’s decaf or not, the less likely they were to die prematurely from any illness.
“One cup a day reduced the risk of dying early by eight percent. Two to five cups reduced the risk by 12 percent, while six cups reduced the risk by 16 percent.”
“More though, and coffee’s protective effects started to wane — eight cups or more reduce the risk by 14 percent.”
The study is focused on the effects but did not identify the chemical properties of coffee to come to have this life-enhancing effect.
However, in the study, the scientist did tell that it doesn’t matter whether it’s single origin, decaffeinated, or instant coffee the benefits are still there, and the scientist also suggests “it may not be the caffeine that’s providing the anti-aging magic.”
The benefits we are getting from coffee are most likely because of the polyphenols, chemicals that occur naturally in plants. As well as providing vivid colors (such as the red in tomatoes), polyphenols protect plants against harm from damage caused by UV light from the sun and also free radicals — molecules that result from the breakdown of oxygen in the plant.
Last year, scientists at Stanford University, California, published “that coffee could dampen down ‘internal’ inflammation and potentially protect against age-related illness.”
A further indication of coffee’s anti-aging abilities came from another recent study from Brigham Young University.
The researchers found coffee drinkers had longer telomeres — the protective ends of each chromosome (the string-like structure that houses our DNA). The longer the telomeres, the better protected our DNA is from damage.
Thou these findings show, that coffee itself has a protective effect, but still, it doesn’t link to its caffeine properties and, again suggesting polyphenols may be the significant factor for its anti-aging effect.
Does this mean coffee can help you live longer?
The sad truth is “No” said Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in metabolism based at Glasgow University’s Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences. “He points out that even the latest large-scale study by reputable U.S. research bodies is only observational.”
That concludes there is still not enough pieces of evidence to prove whether drinking more cups of coffee can help us live longer. However, experts are still finding more evidence to this theory.
“The people drinking coffee may already be living a healthier lifestyle, with better incomes and education.”
“There may well be something about coffee that protects against ill health but we cannot say that is definitively the case,” Professor Sattar says.
Source Mail Online
