That Cup Of Coffee May Have A Long-Term Perk

A study that followed more than 47,000 women since the 1970s found coffee to contribute to healthy aging

- Alice Callahan

NEW YORK — Most people who drink coffee appreciate the quick jolt of energy it provides. But in a new study, presented on June 2 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, scientists have found that coffee may offer the much longer-term benefit of healthy aging.

The study has not been peer-reviewed or published, but it was rigorous and included a large number of women who were followed for many years.

It also adds to a large body of evidence linking coffee to longer lives and various health advantages, including lower risks of certain chronic diseases — though all of these studies had limitations, including that they were observational and could not prove cause and effect.

Still, the results linking coffee to healthier aging were not surprising, said Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a professor of nutritional epidemiology at Tufts University who was not involved with the study. "The data is quite consistent that coffee consumption is actually beneficial," she said.

WHAT DID THE NEW RESEARCH FIND?

In the study, researchers followed more than 47,000 female nurses for several decades beginning in the 1970s.

Every few years, the women answered detailed questions about their diets, including how much coffee, tea, and cola (like Coca-Cola or Pepsi) they typically drank. Then the scientists looked at how many of the women were still alive and met their definition of "healthy aging" in 2016.

Just over 3,700 women met that definition: They were 70 or older; reported good physical and mental health, with no cognitive disability or memory problems; and were free of 11 chronic diseases such as cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis.

The researchers found a correlation between how much caffeine the women typically drank — which was mostly from coffee — when they were between 45 and 60 years old and their likelihood of healthy aging.