It seems coffee affects us very differently depending on our ages. New research suggest it has advantages for people over the age of 45. Dr. Mercola recently published an article that addresses this situation.
Highlights:
Research has emerged showing benefits for regular coffee drinkers, but particular advantages were found for individuals age 45 and older
Among those aged 45 and over, every two cups of daily coffee lowered the risk of dying during the study period by 30 percent; no such association was seen in younger adults
The study also noted a 22 percent decreased risk of all-cause mortality when study participants who drank four cups a day added two additional cups of coffee per day to their regimen
Main points:
While participants’ average age at the beginning of the study was just over 37, those who were at least 45 when the study began stood out for benefits received — a 30 percent lower risk of death in the next 10 years for every two cups of coffee consumed daily.3 In people younger than 45, there didn’t seem to be any significant impact on either lowering or increasing the study participants’ mortality.
One of Navarro’s observations following the study was that no matter what inroads are made to benefit health, observed from the number of lives that may have been lengthened due to this one diet decision — drinking coffee — “Even a small health effect could have important public health consequences.” However, as Medicine Net observed, “Research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary because they haven’t been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.”4
The second took place among people in 10 countries throughout Europe and involved more than 521,000 people. Among Europeans, the researchers reported an association between coffee consumption and lowered risk of death from any cause, and the relationship had no variance between countries.9
Coffee is said to improve energy levels and block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine. This in turn boosts other neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine, leading to enhanced firing of neurons. The upshot is that brain function is improved, along with memory and general cognitive function.13
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