More Coffee, Longer Life? That's What New Studies Show

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Two new studies show your daily coffee intake could be giving you more than just a caffeine craving. According to two studies published on Monday, drinking more coffee could lead to a longer life. More than 700,000 people were surveyed between the two studies — the first surveying more than 520,000 people in 10 European countries, and the second focusing on more than 185,000 people from non-white populations.

The first study, led by USC's Keck School of Medicine, is the largest study to date on the coffee/mortality relationship and found drinking more coffee could lower a person's risk of death, revealing an inverse relationship between cups of coffee and diseases.

That study showed that participants with the highest coffee consumption had significantly lower mortality rates. In men, researchers observed a lower rate of death from digestive diseases in particular, and women who drank more coffee were less likely to die from circulatory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and ovarian cancer, according to the study.

The second and newest study also found a similar inverse relationship between coffee consumption and mortality rates. The findings showed that coffee increases the lifespan across several races, and those who drank two to four cups of coffee a day had an 18 percent lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers.

Both studies were published in the Annuals of Internal Medicine. (For more local news and events, subscribe to free email news alerts and a daily newsletter for Indianapolis Patch.)

Another study from 2013 shows that coffee might have other health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease.

Like what you read and need more coffee? Here's a list of Indy coffee shops from visitindy.com.

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