Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have found that drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day lowered the risk of premature death by up to 15% compared to those who drink no coffee.
The researchers analysed health records of more than 200,000 people that were mined from three clinical trials that included doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.
Participants were periodically given food questionnaires and followed for up to 30 years, over the course of which 30,000 participants died.
While the study only reveals correlation, Ars Technica noted that it follows decades of studies that found many health benefits linked to drinking coffee.
This includes lower risks of cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and diabetes.
The health effects of heavy coffee drinking has been a point of contention, though.
This may be because heavy coffee drinkers also tend to be smokers.
With smokers included in the study results, the risk of premature death for those who drink between 3 and 5 cups a day was only 5% to 9% lower.
When the researchers removed smokers from the results, the statistics changed significantly – going up to 15%.
Results from the study also showed that drinking coffee was linked to lower risks of cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, and suicide.
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