Drink Coffee, Live Longer: The Longevity Science Behind Our Favorite Morning Brew

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Study links coffee consumption to lower risk of all-cause mortality; benefits diminished with add-ins

Coffee might be doing more than energizing our morning routines and workouts; it could be extending our lives. A large-scale observational study involving 46,000 individuals by Tufts University suggests that drinking one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily is associated with lower overall mortality, particularly from cardiovascular causes. But there is a big catch: these longevity benefits drop when sugar and saturated fats from sources like cream are added in excess, according to the results of the study published in The Journal of Nutrition, which analyzed data from nine consecutive cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2018. Black coffee and coffee with lower levels of added sugar (no more than 1/2 teaspoon per eight-ounce cup) and saturated fat (no more than one gram per cup) were associated with a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality as compared to no coffee consumption. The health impact of coffee might be attributable to its bioactive compounds, but the addition of sugar and saturated fat may reduce the benefits. Decaffeinated coffee showed no clear association with longevity, meaning there might also be a protective effect from caffeine as well. The takeaway? There might be a real case for drinking a stronger, more basic brew instead of those sugary, creamy coffee shop drinks.