There is good news for java drinkers, new studies have found that coffee consumption can provide lifelong benefits and support against heart diseases. Drinking a few cups of coffee a day can provide more than just an energy boost for work. Researchers found that drinking coffee can increase someone’s life span. The consumption of java on a daily basis can reduce cardiovascular disease. The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology analyzed 450,000 people, recording their java habits.
In this analysis, they found that caffeinated, non-caffeinated, ground, and instant coffee all provide similar benefits. Moderated levels of intake for these four versions of coffee can prove to be part of a healthy lifestyle. Though coffee provides a health benefit for the cardiovascular system, there is little data on whether or not different forms of coffee preparation can boost heart health.
The study used data from the U.K. Biobank containing data examining the types of coffee and incident arrhythmias, cardiovascular disease, and death for adults between the ages of 40 and 69 years old.
There were 449, 563 participants free of arrhythmias and other cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases were coronary heart disease, congestive heart disease, and congestive heart failure. The median age was 58 years with 55.3% of that number attributed to women.
Participants were asked about their daily coffee intake and their form of choice. Each was grouped into categories of none, less than one, one, two to three, four to five, and more than five cups of coffee a day.
Instant coffee made up 198,062 (44.1%) of the participants, Ground brew 82,575 (18.4%), decaffeinated 68,416 (15.2%) and non-coffee drinkers made up 100,510 (22.4%). Coffee drinkers were compared to non-drinkers for incidences of arrhythmias, cardiovascular diseases, and death. This was after adjusting for sex, age, ethnicity, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and tea and alcohol consumption.
The origin of java originates from ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. Stories say goat herder Kaldi discovered the world-renowned beans centuries ago. Kaldi reported his findings to his local monastery where they created a drink from the beans which is now the drink the world knows today.
Java is a staple drink in many cultures, from the U.S. to Europe on down to Japan, the drink is nearly a necessity for many ethnic groups. The Japanese sell plain black joe in vending machines and serve it as a normal beverage in restaurants. The culture naturally uses less seasoning and sweeteners in their foods making it easier for the country to consume black java according to American tourist Sasha Davis from Chicago.
A cup of joe is a big part of American morning culture, with lattes, espressos, and macchiato variations playing big roles in their first beverage of choice for the day. The U.S. has even gotten creative with ice brews becoming a trend and acquired taste for some of the drinks.
This recent finding of health benefits in coffee is good news for those who already regularly consume the drink two to three cups at a time on average, granting them benefits by default and putting them in a good spot in the fight against cardiovascular disease.
Written by Mikal Eggleston
Sources:
NCA USA: The History of Coffee
CBS: Drinking several cups of coffee every day is linked to a longer lifespan, research finds; by Li Cohen
The Guardian: It’s official! Coffee is good for you – just like red wine, dark chocolate, beer …
Featured Image Courtesy of Christopher Neugebauer’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of James’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
