Coffee Seems To Have A Surprising Effect On Ageing And Longevity

Yes, too much coffee can harm us; a caffeine overload can cause jitters, insomnia, and, in the long-term, possibly even heart health issues. 

But what is “too much”?

Speaking to HuffPost previously, Dr James Udelson, chief of cardiology at Tufts Medical Centre, said, “Three to four cups of coffee per day has been shown to be safe for most people and not associated with adverse effects on cardiovascular health or health in general”. 

And if you stick under that limit, some research suggests coffee, especially black coffee with no sugar, could actually be good for your health and longevity.

In fact, a 2024 paper says, coffee could reduce your risk of all-cause mortality, ageing-related conditions like stroke, help your stress adaptation mechanisms, and even protect your body as it ages.

How might coffee affect longevity and ageing? 

In this research, the study authors looked at over 50 existing coffee and ageing studies from around the world. 

They looked at how the drink seemed to affect the ageing process, the risk for diseases like cancer, stroke, and heart disease, and its effects on sleep, cognition, and depression. 

“Coffee is a mixture of over 2000 potentially bioactive substances,” many of which could help with everything from your immune system to your metabolism.

“It may not be surprising that the intake of coffee should preserve health upon ageing,” the researchers continued, stating that the association between coffee and a longer lifespan was noted in “in over 50 different cohort analysed in different geographical locations”. 

Interestingly, they added, “stronger associations are found in Europe and in Asia than in the US, which highlights the importance of both different food matrices as well as different lifestyles when analysing the impact on human health of any individual food component”. 

Coffee was linked to a better healthspan, too.

The benefits were pretty consistent

“The regular coffee consumption seems associated with a preservation of muscular, cardiovascular, mental and immune system functions and seems inversely associated with the incidence of the most frequent diseases affecting the elderly such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, dementia, major depression or frailty,” the research concluded (phew). 

But the study authors noted that although these findings were consistent, they had a “rather small amplitude”, and, like all food and drink studies, there were some “pitfalls” associated with the research.

Still, it added to “accumulating evidence that coffee and coffee components can interfere with the identified pillars of ageing that format age-associated healthspan and lifespan”. 

And given that coffee is the most consumed beverage after water, that may spell good news for millions of coffee lovers.