May 31, 2022
Craig Melville/Pixabay
People who drink coffee are less likely to die a premature death, even if they include a small amount of sugar in their cups, new research shows.
For many people, a java jolt is necessary to jumpstart their mornings. Whether it is one cup or three, morning coffee has become synonymous with productive days, especially in the U.S. But how healthy is this habit?
Plenty of research has been conducted over the years on the health effects of coffee. Though the addictive quality of caffeine and the possibility of a sugar overload are of concern, research suggests coffee can provide some health benefits when consumed in moderation.
Research has found coffee is protective against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart attacks and stroke. The latest study suggests people can reap those health benefits even if they add some sugar to their cups.
The researchers found that people who drink any amount of unsweetened coffee were 16% to 21% less likely to experience a premature death compared to people who don't drink coffee.
People who prefer milk and sugar their coffee, and drink an average of 1.5 to 3.5 cups a day, were even less likely to die early. Researchers found these people were 29% to 31% less likely to die during a seven-year follow-up.
Most people in the study only added moderate amounts of sugar to their coffee, the researchers emphasized. Adding one teaspoon of sugar only equates to 16 extra calories. The concern with sugar stems from specialty beverages that are sweetened with heaps of sugar.
"On average, even when your coffee is a little bit sweetened, it still seems to be potentially beneficial and at least not harmful," said the journal's deputy editor, Christina Wee, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study.
There is also a sweet spot when it comes to the amount of coffee people drink each day. People who drank unsweetened coffee had a reduced risk of death, including from cancer and heart disease, no matter how much they drank each day. But the biggest benefit came from drinking 2.5 to 3.5 cups day.
The health benefits associated with sweetened coffee appeared to diminish as more was consumed, the researchers also noted. Drinking more than 4.5 cups of sugary coffee a day was associated with a slight increase in the risk of early death.
Other research appears to confirm these findings. One review of 40 studies found that two to four cups of coffee daily was associated with a lower risk of death, even when adjusting for other factors such as age, weight status and alcohol consumption.
In another study, the risk of death was less for coffee drinkers even after 12 and 18 years of follow-up. Data also suggests that a regular coffee habit can lower a person's risk of death from cancer.
How coffee reduces the risk of death is stilling being explored, but there are many possible theories on it.
"Coffee contains nearly 1,000 botanical compounds, most of which have not been studied yet," Anthony DiMarino, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Human Nutrition, told U.S. News & World Report. "Coffee does provide nutrients such as B vitamins, potassium and riboflavin, which are essential to health. Moreover, coffee provides different anti-inflammatory compounds, which help reduce our risk of cancer."
Coffee also has been proven to improve alertness, memory and cognitive functions. And because it contains chlorogenic acids, it has an anti-clotting effect in the blood. Scientists have been investigating whether coffee can also improve a person's gut health.
Can there be too much of a good thing? While there appears to be some health benefits to being a regular coffee drinker, experts emphasize the importance of moderation. Caffeine, the main ingredient in coffee, is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system and can cause mild physical dependence.
Too much of coffee can speed up a person's heart rate and alter metabolism in negative ways. People should cut back on their java consumption if they are prone to heartburn, nervousness or insomnia, the Mayo Clinic says. Coffee also can trigger heart arrhythmias, and potentially lead to bone loss in some people, according to Harvard Health.
Health experts caution that the potential health benefits of coffee aren't a reason to pick up a coffee habit. More research is needed before a recommendation like that can be made.
