There’s no limit to the number of coffee studies either proving or disproving its benefits. But there is a new minimum to how much coffee can keep a body healthy: four cups, according to researchers.
A study presented by Spanish scientists at the European Society of Cardiology Congress held in Barcelona states that the moderate consumption of coffee is linked to a lower risk of early death, USA Today reports.
Dr. Adela Navarro, a cardiologist at Hospital de Navarra, said,
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages around the world.
She added, “Previous studies have suggested that drinking coffee might be inversely associated with all-cause mortality but this has not been investigated in a Mediterranean country.”
The research, conducted by the Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain examined nearly 20,000 participants, following them for an average of 10 years. The results showed that the participants who drank at least four cups of coffee a day had a 64% lower risk of dying than those who never or rarely drank coffee.
In addition, the study found that for participants who were 45 years old or older, drinking two more cups of coffee – on top of the four cups – resulted in a 30% lower mortality risk.
Navarro said, “Our findings suggest that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.”
These findings support two studies published earlier this year that pointed to the benefits of drinking coffee. One of the studies stated that coffee was linked to lower death risks caused by cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and kidney failure.
Americans drink three cups of coffee a day on average, a Gallup survey reported. This number has not changed since 1999. Just under two-thirds of adults in the United States drink one cup a day, while 25% admit to being addicted to caffeine.
