11 Jul Moderate Coffee Drinking Linked To Lower Risk of Death
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Marc J. Gunter, PhD
From International Agency for Research on Cancer
Lyon, France
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: U.S. and Japanese studies have previously found that drinking more coffee was related with a lower risk of death. However, in European populations, where coffee consumption and preparation methods are more varied, the relationship was less certain as relatively small studies had previously been conducted. Our analysis was undertaken in ~500,000 men and women from 10 European countries, the largest study to date investigating the coffee and mortality relationship.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: We found that higher coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, and specifically for circulatory diseases, and digestive diseases. Importantly, these results were similar across all of the 10 European countries, with variable coffee drinking habits and customs.
Our study also offers important insights into the possible mechanisms for the beneficial health effects of coffee. We found that drinking more coffee was associated with a more favorable liver function profile and immune response. This, along with the consistency of the results with other studies in the U.S. and Japan gives us greater confidence that coffee may have beneficial health effects.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: Overall, our results suggest that moderate coffee drinking (up to ~3 cups/day) is not detrimental to your health, and that incorporating coffee into your diet could have health benefits.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: More experimental research to understand the compounds in coffee that are possibly exerting a chemopreventive and beneficial effect on health; intervention studies of coffee drinking and health outcomes including biomarker studies
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
Last Updated on July 11, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD