Cumulative Research Suggests Coffee Prolongs Life by 1.8 Years

Key Points:

• Research suggests the drink reduces the risk of conditions linked to an early death like diabetes, liver disease, and obesity.
• In contrast, other studies suggest adverse effects from coffee like elevated anxiety, which may trigger migraines, sleeping issues, and gastrointestinal problems.
• All the same, a new, comprehensive review of coffee-related research says regular coffee consumption is associated with an average 1.8 years of added lifespan.

Published in Ageing Research Reviews, Cunha and Lopes from the University of Coimbra in Portugal review studies showing an association between regular coffee intake and an average of 1.8 years of extended lifespan. The researchers also provide an overview of data suggesting that drinking coffee reduces the risk of age-related diseases like diabetes, liver disease, and obesity, which can lead to an early death. On the other hand, as the research goes, individual responses vary, so coffee may trigger anxiety in some, which can lead to migraines, sleep issues, and gastrointestinal problems. Thus, while coffee may not serve as a life-extending elixir for all, the evidence for an average lifespan extension from the drink warrants further exploration of its potential aging-intervention properties.

Moreover, the notion that regular coffee consumption may extend the average human lifespan throughout the global population comes after years of mixed reviews on whether the caffeinated beverage harms or helps overall health. This is important since about 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide each day by about 70% of the global population. With such a large share of the population consuming coffee regularly, Cunha and Lopes sought to get a better handle on whether doing so may help people live longer and in a healthier state.

“Coffee is the most widely consumed beverage after water, which should justify a detailed understanding on its impact [on] health,” said Rodrigo Cunha, PhD, one of the lead authors of the review, in a press release.

Constituent Substances in Coffee May Work Synergistically to Enhance Longevity

The finding of an association between regular coffee intake and a prolonged lifespan propelled Cunha and Lopes to dig deeper into the scientific literature in search of how coffee may work to enhance longevity. Along those lines, antioxidants like chlorogenic acids found in coffee are believed to reduce risks for aging-associated diseases like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, liver disease, and obesity, all of which increase the risk of an early death. Furthermore, while the presence of antioxidants in coffee can reduce certain age-related disease risks, the Portuguese researchers also delved into possible mechanisms of aging that coffee may improve.

Along those lines, to begin figuring out how coffee may improve longevity, Cunha and Lopes examined substances contained in coffee. Coffee is a mixture of about 2,000 potentially bioactive substances and has particularly high levels of caffeine and chlorogenic acids. For this reason, researchers have examined the effects of caffeine and chlorogenic acids on their own and also combined to find whether additive benefits may come from their combination. Along those lines, caffeine with chlorogenic acids have been shown to synergistically suppress fat accumulation in preclinical research. This leaves open the possibility that substances contained in coffee work together to some degree to promote longevity.

Caffeine Blocks Adenosine Receptors in the Brain

All the same, Cunha and Lopes contend that caffeine may be the principal coffee ingredient conferring aging intervention benefits. This is because coffee is the main source of caffeine in Western diets for adults, and over 90% of daily caffeine intake comes from coffee for elderly people. As such, with a higher proportion of daily caffeine intake coming from coffee, it makes sense that caffeine plays the biggest role in coffee’s impact on longevity.

Because the researchers believe caffeine may be the most critical contributor to longevity within coffee, they broke down how this molecule affects the body. Accordingly, researchers believe that caffeine blocks adenosine receptors—namely, adenosine receptor A₁—in the brain to increase short-term awareness, attention, and reactivity. Scientists have posited that caffeine’s blockade of A₁ receptors helps explain increased physical and mental performance shortly after consuming caffeinated beverages like coffee. Moreover, since the greatest concentrations of A₁ receptors in the body are present in the brain, researchers have designated caffeine as the most widely-used psychostimulant.

Interestingly, caffeine also blocks another type of adenosine receptor—the A_2A receptor. Through its blockage of A_2A receptors, Cunha and Lopes proposed that caffeine counteracts maladaptive cellular responses and prevents tissue dysfunction. While the exact way that this effect occurs needs further research, Cunha and Lopes believe that caffeine’s blockage of A_2A receptors helps explain the long-term beneficial effects of regular consumption of caffeinated coffee. In this way, since coffee connoisseurs typically drink this beverage regularly as opposed to every once in a while, people should think of caffeine as a normalizer of physiology (think longer-term effects) rather than as a psychostimulant (from short-term effects).

Optimal Number of Cups of Coffee per Day

Cunha and Lopes relay that an optimal number of cups of coffee per day, on average, is about three eight-ounce cups, according to analyses of various studies. They determined this ideal number of cups based on studies suggesting a lower risk of mortality associated with consuming this amount.

The researchers emphasize, though, that this number of cups may vary from person-to-person, especially for those who may experience heart arrhythmias, jitteriness, or have difficulty sleeping following coffee consumption. As such, people who have adverse reactions to coffee may benefit from lesser amounts of coffee per day or may consider avoiding the drink altogether.

Deciding Whether to Drink Coffee Regularly

From lowering average mortality risk with moderate consumption to initiating anxiety-related problems, mixed reports on coffee’s effects have come to light over the years. Now, as revealed in Cunha and Lopes’s latest review, new analyses suggest that, on average, moderate coffee intake is associated with about a 1.8-year lifespan extension.

People should not, however, consider coffee as a longevity-promoting elixir. Since people’s reactions to coffee may vary significantly, it is always a good idea to consult with a physician or registered dietician regarding one’s choice to drink coffee daily and if so, how much.