It’s official! Coffee is good for you – just like red wine, dark chocolate, beer …
Another
day, another study suggesting a little of what you fancy does you good.
But almost half a million people took part in this one
Name: Coffee.
Age:
Debatable. One legend says an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi discovered
the stimulating effects of coffee in the ninth century. More credible
accounts mention coffee drinking in the 15th century in the Arabian
peninsula. But this is less about the coffee, more about the coffee
drinker.
OK, then: age of the coffee drinker? Older.
Older than whom? The non-coffee drinker.
When? When they die. Research has found
that drinking two to three cups of coffee – ground, instant,
decaffeinated – could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and so
be linked to a longer life.
Oh gawd. It’s one of those stories, is it? That appear in a certain type of newspaper every other day, based on the views of a couple of people … Published
in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, authored by Prof
Peter Kistler of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute …
And how many people? 449,563 aged between 40 and 69 completed a questionnaire, with a follow-up 12 and a half years later …
Presumably the first question of the follow-up was: are you dead?
They did find that 27,809 (6.2%) had died during that period. The
interesting bit is that compared with not drinking coffee, drinking two
or three cups a day was associated with a 27%, 14% and 11% lower
likelihood of death during the period of the study for ground, decaf and
instant respectively.
Caffeine, come home!
Kistler says it’s probably one of the many other biological components
that is responsible for the positive relationship between coffee
drinking, cardiovascular disease and survival.
Hang on, though: wasn’t it something else five minutes ago? You’re probably thinking of the study that found that drinking two pints of beer a day can slash the risk of dementia by a third.
Beer! I didn’t even know about that. I was thinking of red wine. Ah, yes, an old favourite, with numerous and frequent studies
finding health benefits, including boosting heart, gut and brain
health. All of which come with the usual caveats about the dangers of
overdoing it.
Also chocolate? Yeah, but not so much Milkybars, more dark chocolate – nutritious and rich in antioxidants.
It’s
almost like the men and women in white coats are doing studies into all
the stuff we like but think is unhealthy and then finding out, hey,
it’s not so bad after all – it might even be good for you.
OK, but who’s complaining? Until someone claims that a child’s
metabolic health can be improved with a light to moderate meth habit …
Do say: “Cappuccino please, with a sprinkle of extra longevity to go.”
Don’t say: “… and a pint of beer while you’re at it. Better safe than sorry.”
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