Speaking of which, it’s coffee time
Coffee drinkers may be at a lower risk of early death – but scientists have warned that the study is “far from definitive.”
Coffee is a major part of daily life for most people, mainly because it possesses the unique ability to make everything seem better – albeit for only a few hours until you need another hit. However a new study from China suggests that coffee may actually reduce your risk of early death over a seven-year period – so drink up.
Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on May 31, the study looks at data from more than 171,000 subjects provided by the UK Biobank, which houses genetic and lifestyle data on more than 500,000 people.
The team looked at death certificates to track subjects through a seven-year median period, starting back in 2009 when 3,177 people died.
To better understand the effect of coffee, researchers factored in data including age, sex, ethnicity, educational level, smoking status, amount of physical activity, body mass index and diet. Compared with people who did not drink coffee, people who drank unsweetened caffeinated beverages had a lower risk of death.
Such statistics will comfort the British public who drink 98m cups of coffee a day, according to the British Coffee Association.
Researchers found the greatest risk reduction – an impressive 29 per cent – in those who drank between 2.5 and 4.5 cups a day. Those who drink sweetened coffee also saw a risk reduction but only for those drinking between 1.5 and 3.5 cups a day.
There is some concern over the methods of the study, as scientists only questioned participants about coffee once and also relied on self-reporting. More so, those stating they have their coffee with sugar were not easily comparable to people drinking caffeinated drinks with a high-sugar content.
Dr Christina Wee, the deputy editor of the journal, said that the findings were not conclusive but did offer some insight into the relationship between health and coffee.
“So drink up – but it would be prudent to avoid too many caramel macchiatos while more evidence brews,” she wrote.
According to The Guardian, Naveed Sattar, a professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, shared some concerns about the study.
“The observational nature of this new study means these conclusions are far from definitive,” the scientist, who was not involved in the initial study, said. “This is because coffee drinkers are in general more affluent and have healthier lives than non-drinkers and I remain unconvinced whether these factors can be overcome in observational studies.
“I would suggest people stick to coffee or tea, preferably without sugar, which most people can adapt to, and try to do all the other things we know keep you healthy – move more, eat and sleep better,” he suggested.
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