An epidemiological study of more than 400,000 aging Americans showed that men who consume 2-3 cups of coffee each day had a 10% lower death rate than their non-coffee drinking brethren. Women that drank the same amount had a higher longevity rate: They were 13% less likely to die.
While it isn’t clear why the peppy black beverage extends longevity, the correlation is worth noting.
Other research also shows that consumption of about three to four cups each day is linked to a reduction in a variety of diseases including type 2 diabetes, basal cell carcinoma skin cancer, prostate cancer, oral cancer and the recurrence of breast cancer.
Animal studies show that caffeine — the active substance in coffee that perks you up – might impact brain chemistry to delay the onset of dementia.
In 2012, scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discovered when lab mice are briefly starved of oxygen, they lose the ability to form memories. Half of the mice then received caffeine equivalent to a few cups of coffee. Those lucky mice bounced back 33% faster those mice that did not get caffeine.
It turns out caffeine disrupts the ill effects of adenosine, the substance in cells that usually provides energy but is damaging when cells are distressed. Adenosine might cause a biochemical reaction that leads to inflammation, and impairs brain cells. It might possibly contribute to brain damage including the process that results in dementia.
So we say: Drink your coffee! And live longer.
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