Coffee
(IN PHOTO)Cups of cappuccino sit on a table during the World Coffee Conference in Guatemala City February 26, 2010. Guatemala will produce less coffee than previously forecast in the 2009/10 season due to bad weather, increasing pressure on already tight global supplies, the head of the national growers group Anacafe said on Friday. REUTERS

Daily intake of coffee could lower the risk of death, according to a US study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The latest findings indicate that regular coffee drinkers are less likely to die from diseases including heart disease, respiratory diseases, influenza and diabetes compared to non-coffee drinkers.

The researchers studied the health and coffee drinking habits of 90,317 healthy adults. During a 10-year follow-up, 8,718 participants died. Adults who drank four to five cups of coffee daily have an 18 per cent lower risk of death than people who never drink coffee.

Plus, participants who consumed two to three cups of coffee daily also had a lower risk of death, as well as the adults who drank decaffeinated coffee or consumed coffee additives. Drinking up to five cups of coffee daily, which has the equivalent of 400 milligrammes of caffeine, was not linked to any long-term health problems.

International Business Times AU reported earlier that coffee consumption lowers the risk of endometrial cancer by 19 per cent, but the new research did not find any link between drinking coffee and overall cancer mortality.

Lead researcher Erikka Loftfield admits that the team does not know how exactly coffee reduces death risks. Nevertheless, the researchers hypothesise that this benefit may stem from how coffee impacts inflammation, lung function, insulin sensitivity and depression.

However, Marc Gunter, who was not part of the study, told Reuters that the study does not necessarily prove that coffee extends life. Gunter noted that people who drink more coffee also lead healthier lifestyles. Gunter argues that coffee drinkers’ healthier habits, such as exercising regularly may be the reason why coffee may seem to lower the risk of deaths.

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