Can Coffee have a Beneficial Effect on Life Expectancy?

Would drinking coffee daily be associated with a lower risk of death? Coffee Beneficial is British researchers believe after a study of thousands of people, whether they are genetically programmed to metabolize caffeine slowly or quickly.

The coffee is one of the favorite drinks of the French and according to many studies it has something to be appreciated. In fact, it is credited with several beneficial effects, such as the prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, provided however that it promotes moderate consumption, ie not more than five cups per day.
A new study conducted by researchers at the National Cancer Institute confirms another benefit mentioned in the scientific work: coffee would reduce the risk of premature death. Their study is unprecedented in the fact that the researchers were interested in people who metabolize quickly this drink or conversely, who are less sensitive.

Scientists have estimated the consumption habits of nearly half a million people based on data from a British bio bank to determine whether this difference in caffeine metabolism affects the associations between coffee consumption and mortality. The results published in the JAMA Internal Medicine review confirmed previous studies showing a beneficial association between coffee consumption and mortality over the study period. But not only: they also demonstrated similar conclusions that participants are considered, according to their genetics, as "metabolizers" fast or slow caffeine.

No difference according to the genetics of coffee drinkers

Researchers were interested in this criterion because previous evidence from case-control studies suggested that coffee consumption may increase the risk of hypertension and myocardial infarction in individuals with genetic variants indicating slow metabolism. caffeine. However, "these earlier studies evaluated coffee consumption after the onset of the disease and did not look at overall or cardiovascular mortality," they explain. In their study, it was found that coffee drinkers were less likely in both situations to die of cardiovascular disease and cancer than nondrinkers.

Overall, coffee drinkers were about 10 to 15% less likely to die prematurely compared to "non-drinkers" over a decade of follow-up. Differences in the amount of coffee consumed and genetic variation were minimal. An observation that applied regardless of the type of coffee consumed: ground, instant and even decaffeinated. This is why researchers can not explain exactly how drinking coffee could affect longevity. The main assumption is that this drink contains more than 1,000 chemical compounds, including antioxidants, that help protect cells from damage.

What about caffeine?

Thus, the answer would not necessarily be found in caffeine, whose coffee represents 80% of the contributions according to ANSES. "Overall, these findings suggest that associations between coffee and mortality may be attributable to constituents other than caffeine. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the observed associations, "the researchers conclude. It should be noted that ANSES also explains that there are "significant interindividual differences in response to caffeine intake". Variability related to the genotype but also to the physiological state and to co-exposures (smoking, drugs.)

The impact of caffeine on the delay of falling asleep and the quality of sleep or physical performance will not be the same from one person to another. "This individual variability makes it difficult to estimate daily doses that should not be exceeded to preserve health status," she explains. Coffee and tea are the main food vectors of caffeine, but caffeine is naturally present in more than 60 plants (kola, guarana, mate ...) so-called "energizing" drinks constitute a new vector for children and teens. In the latter, high consumption of caffeine is however strongly discouraged.