Coffee may help prolong lifespan by almost 2 years, on average

Upon analysis, Cunha and his team calculated that people who regularly consume coffee could potentially add an average of 1.8 years of healthy living to their lives.

“Aging of the world’s population may well be a trap if people leave longer but with more diseases and poorer quality of life,” Cunha said. “Thus the quest should be to increase health span rather than lifespan.” 

Cunha explained that the molecular constituents of coffee affect mechanisms that are linked to aging processes, helping to slow them down. 

“In simple words, chlorogenic acids are antioxidants that can attenuate the chemical deterioration of our cells and allow for better cell recovery after exposure to noxious stimuli,” he explained.

“In parallel, caffeine refrains the activation of receptors signaling stress and/or danger prompting a reorganization of resources for optimal and more constant function, thus preserving the quality of our cells despite recurrent challenges,” added Cunha.

Nevertheless, “there is a long road ahead to understand who will benefit the most from coffee intake and what types of coffee and what types of patterns of coffee intake afford the maximal benefits,” he pointed out. 

GMHCN also spoke with Scott Kaiser, MD, a board-certified geriatrician and director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, about this review.

Kaiser, who was not involved in this research, commented it was a positive, comprehensive review of current literature on coffee consumption. 

“It’s encouraging because people enjoy drinking coffee, and it’s good to know that it may actually have some significant health benefits, particularly when it comes to healthy aging,” Kaiser said. “This is just a review of the literature that’s out there, so there really shouldn’t be any significant bias, but it’s important to note that this work touting the health benefits of coffee was funded by the coffee industry.”

“So I really appreciate framing in that perspective and thinking about what are factors, particularly lifestyle factors, practices, approaches in everyday living that can not just support greater longevity, but also healthy longevity — not just living longer, but living better,” he added.

“It’s very important to be thinking about these things [and] to think about coffee and other factors that could have positive impacts at the individual and population level,” noted Kaiser.

GMHCN spoke with Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, for tips on how coffee-drinking readers can get the most health benefits from their favorite beverage.

“Coffee studies have become like egg studies — one day the headlines related to it may read ‘good for you’ and the next day they read ‘bad for you’,” Richard said. “The public is confused about what they should consume, how much, if it is beneficial, or harmful and don’t know who to trust or what to do.” 

She encouraged everyone to consider some key questions when thinking about whether coffee may add a couple years to your life.

One of them is: How much coffee are you drinking, and how often? “Keep in mind these studies are usually using an average intake of 3–5 (8-ounce) cups per day to measure benefit, or 400 mgTrusted Source [milligrams],” Richard pointed out. “How does what you’re consuming compare?”For those who are sensitive to caffeine — for instance, they easily get jittery after drinking coffee, struggle to go to sleep, get anxiety, or heart palpitations — caffeinated coffee or drinks may be best avoided.

“If drinking decaf, [consider] what process is used to make [it] — read up about decaf coffee processes and considerations,” Richard advised.

She also suggested that people consider whether drinking coffee is an enjoyable activity for them, or whether they are using it purely as a stimulant, to boost their energy levels. If the latter, Richard indicated, that may “not [be] conducive to long-term health.”

The source of coffee is also an important consideration when it comes to its impact from health. If the coffee beans are not “free of pesticides, farmed, and processed responsibly,” or if the coffee is served “in a cup [made of potentially harmful materials] such as styrofoam,” then the health impact may well be negative, Richard pointed out.