Consuming coffee may reduce your risk of death

In the United Kingdom, a report from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee titled ‘Coffee, caffeine, mortality and life expectancy’ highlights the potential role of coffee consumption on all-cause mortality, examining both published and yet-to-be published research to date.

Key research findings include meta-analyses that suggest coffee consumption versus no coffee consumption is associated with an up to 17 percent risk reduction of all-cause mortality; another study by Imperial College London and IARC found that participants with the highest consumption of coffee had a lower risk of all-causes of death; and, a US study found that participants who consumed a cup of coffee a day were 12 percent less likely to die compared to those who didn’t drink coffee.

It was suggested that caffeine alone was unlikely to explain the effect on mortality, mentioning a potential role for polyphenols found in coffee, which may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.