Trust the Science

Now this is science I am entirely willing to trust: coffee is very, very good for you:

The massive database contains the health records on half a million Britons, who are regularly quizzed on their lifestyle habits. Participants, who were aged 40 to 69, completed questionnaires on how many cups they drank per day and whether they opted for instant, ground or decaffeinated.

The findings, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, show 44 per cent drank instant, 18 per cent ground and 15 per cent decaf. Just over a fifth did not drink coffee.

Over the course of the 13-year study, nearly 28,000 participants died. Some 43,000 developed cardiovascular disease and 30,000 were diagnosed with arrhythmia — an irregular heartbeat.

All types of coffee were linked with a reduction in early death from all causes, with two to three cups per day linked with the lowest risk. Those drinking that much ground coffee were 27 per cent less likely to die early than non-coffee drinkers. Meanwhile, decaf fans had a 14 per cent reduced risk and instant was linked with a 11 per cent drop. And all those who drank coffee had a reduced risk of heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

The good news is that since the amount of coffee drunk was self-reported, the ideal number of “two to three cups per day” is actually at least four cups, and could easily be five. Because no one, in the entire history of drinking coffee, has ever accurately reported how much coffee they really drank.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to fire up another espresso… for my health, you understand.

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