Marcella La Cioppa Recent research has revealed that coffee and the bioactive components found within it have the ability to extend life expectancy and improve its quality, reducing possible causes of death.
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Coffee, beyond its primary components, is a complex mixture of thousands of potentially bioactive substances. Most of these compounds have not been fully studied for their health impacts, making it difficult to pinpoint the specific effects of individual components on human health.
As coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world after water, large-scale population studies can provide valuable insights into its overall health effects.
Researchers at the CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology have reported that regular and moderate coffee consumption (three cups per day) not only contributes to a longer lifespan but also improves its quality by reducing the risk of major age-related diseases.
The study
In their research, Impact of Coffee Optimization on Human Ageing: Epidemiology and Cellular Plans, scientists examined over 50 epidemiological studies. They analyzed coffee consumption patterns and their associations with mortality, healthy lifespan, and various disease parameters in a combined cohort of nearly 3 million individuals.
The findings revealed that moderate and regular coffee consumption is associated with a 17% reduction in all-cause mortality rates, fewer age-related diseases, and an average life extension of approximately 1.8 years.
Coffee consumption was linked to reduced functional decline due to aging, mitigating memory loss, mood issues, and physical conditions. The analysis also identified connections between moderate coffee intake and lower rates of death from major causes, including cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory conditions.
Coffee as a “stabilizer”
The study’s authors introduced the concept of caffeine as a “normalizer“, reframing it as a stabilizing agent for physiological systems rather than its traditional role as a psycho-stimulant. This shift in perspective could radically redefine how coffee is perceived, researched, and consumed—transitioning it from being seen primarily as a stimulant to a broader category of health optimization.
