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Numerous myths have accompanied coffee during the last decades, Many related to caffeine. However, in recent years more and more studies are investigating the beneficial properties of coffee in our body. Is being related to a Less probability of dying by cardiovascular diseases or with Benefits for our kidneys. There are still unknowns, such as His influence on the brainbut lately the trend is to study the relationship between coffee and live more.
And they are finding green sprouts.
Lengthening life expectancy. The idea that coffee reduces the possibilities of premature death is something that has been circulating for a while, but this year has monopolized holders because several are published studies In this regard. Tufts University researchers, in Massachusetts, have published a study in which they have related the consumption of one or two cups a day with a lower risk of death due to any cause and for cardiovascular diseases.
Fang Zhang is the main author of the study and considers that it is important that the relationship between coffee and longevity be studied, taking into account that “almost half of American adults drink at least one cup per day.” This data can be extrapolated, since coffee is, behind the water, the most consumed drink in the world.
The study. To prove that relationship, the researchers studied data from more than 46,000 American adults over 20 years of age who have been collected in health surveys during the last two decades. From that sample, 7,074 people died, and those deaths crossed with coffee consumption.
What did they find? That adults who drank coffee showed a remarkably lower risk of mortality due to any cause. A cup of coffee a day has been associated with a 16% reduction in the risk of mortality. With two to three cups dailythe percentage increased to 17%, and with more cups a day no additional reductions were observed. Along the way, they failed to relate the mortality results due to cancer with coffee consumption -another of the Myths They have circulated.
The additives. Now, it is not worth having coffee anyway. Bingjie Zhou is an epidemiologist of Tufts that has participated in the study and comments that “few have analyzed how additives could affect that relationship between coffee consumption and the risk of dying.” What additives do you refer to? To the sugar and the saturated fat that can be in the milk, yes, but also in oil and other additions that some chains implement their drinks.
When a small amount of sugar or saturated fat is added (present in the aforementioned whole milk, but also in the cream), that beneficial relationship disappears. Therefore, it would be necessary to have coffee only to give the results that the researchers managed to segment.
Caffeine. Zhang states that “the benefits of coffee for health could be due to its bioactive compounds,” but also comments that the key does not seem so much in coffee … as in caffeine. And, if the positive effects of coffee disappear by adding saturated fat or sugar, they are also diluted when coffee is decaffeinated.
Decaffeinated coffee drinkers have not shown those differences in mortality rates, a conclusion similar to the one they have arrived Other studies that go further to point that the beneficial is the combination of coffee and caffeine, not only coffee or Only caffeine. A monster or a Red Bull would not be worthultimately.
It is on the way to the front. Now, both studies are observational, which means that they are limited when examining the cause and direct effect of coffee. In fact, not being a controlled environment, but a simple survey, admit that the lack of a significant association between decaffeinated coffee and mortality could be due to the fact that the consumption of this type of coffee is much lower.
As we say, for now those studies that are connecting coffee consumption with mortality are limited, but that several on the same during the last months indicate an interest in knowing that link. In addition, they are the basis for subsequent investigations that analyze how the multiple components of coffee or the time of the day we take it –that is also being studied– It affects that relationship.
Image | Nathan Dumlao
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