Should Coffee Receive Credit for Seniors’ Longevity?

According to research from the National Cancer Institute and AARP, seniors who drink coffee – caffeinated or decaffeinated – have a lower risk of death.

Coffee drinkers are less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes and infections, the researchers said, although the association was not seen for cancer. Researchers admitted, however, that they can’t be sure whether these associations mean that drinking coffee actually makes people live longer.

The results from a large study of older adults were observed after adjustment for the effects of other risk factors on mortality, such as smoking and alcohol consumption. The results of the study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Neal Freedman, Ph.D., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI, and his colleagues examined the association between coffee drinking and risk of death in 400,000 U.S. men and women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study.

 “Although we cannot infer a causal relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some reassurance that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health,” Dr. Freedman said.

For more about the study, visit http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/2012/CoffeeProtectiveDCEG/print.