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One of the most widely consumed drinks in the world, many previous studies have also found numerous health benefits of drinking coffee, including a reduced risk of death. However, this study is the first to look at the effect of coffee drinking on mortality in a Mediterranean sample.

Carried out by the Hospital de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, the study included 19,896 participants with an average age of 37.7 years at enrollment.

Participants were asked to complete questionnaires to gather information on coffee consumption, lifestyle, sociodemographic characteristics, and any previous health conditions, as well as provide measurements such as weight, height, waist and hip circumference.

Patients were then followed for an average of ten years.

The team found that participants who consumed at least four cups of coffee per day had a 65 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who never or almost never consumed coffee.

They also found that overall, there was a 25 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality for each two additional cups of total coffee per day.

In addition, the results also suggested a significant link between coffee consumption and age, with those who were at least 45 years old and drinking an additional two cups of coffee per day benefiting from a 30 percent lower risk of mortality, although this association was not significant among younger participants.

“This may be due to a stronger protective association among older participants,” suggested Dr. Adela Navarro. “Our findings suggest that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.”

The findings were presented at the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain, with the abstract available online. JB