[imagesource: Deluxe Coffeeworks]

Every morning when I sip on my steaming cup of coffee, I feel life surging through my veins.

It could simply be the caffeine that I am feeling, but I like to imagine it’s a bit more magical than that; as if my morning brew is like an actual elixir of sorts.

As one of the most popular beverages besides water – the real McCoy elixir – and one with a host of well-researched health benefits, it is possible that coffee does indeed go above and beyond just being friggin’ delicious.

The truth is that it hasn’t been unequivocally proven that drinking coffee can boost longevity. However, it does reduce the likelihood of developing certain diseases and ailments that can kill.

Clearly, the bean’s power is as nuanced as its flavour, folks.

If you take a look at the flavour profile of Deluxe Coffeeworks’ House Blend, hailing from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Brazil, you’ll know what I mean.

A meta-analysis of 26 studies in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease cited an “increasingly impressive and consistent body of data” that daily coffee drinkers have a 7% to 12% lower risk of dying prematurely compared with non-coffee drinkers, according to Live Science.

Another 2005 study, which followed 521 330 adults for an average of 16 years, found that people who drank at least three cups of coffee per day had a significantly lower risk of dying of any cause in that timeframe.

Meanwhile, other studies have tied coffee to increased life expectancy.

In two large 2017 studies, for instance – one from the US and the other from Europe – people drinking caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee every day were found to be less likely to die over a period of about 16 years, compared with people who didn’t drink coffee.

Of course, if you’re smoking like a chimney while you sip on your coffee, you can consider the positive effects of the drink null and void.

So, fine, coffee can’t make you immortal, but it can make you feel good and healthy for longer.

One biologically active compound in coffee, called chlorogenic acid, helps improve glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, which translates to improving the body’s ability to process sugar. This can essentially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Then there’s the whole antioxidant vibe that coffee provides:

Compounds such as melanoids, quinines, lignan and trigonelline have antiinflammatory effects and are antioxidants, meaning they prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals — unstable molecules produced by the body when it processes food and reacts to the environmental pollutants and toxins.

Free radicals can lead to inflammation and contribute to a range of diseases, including cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, cataract, and cancer…

As if you needed another excuse to ensure you’re getting in a cup (or a few) each and every day.

By the way, if you want to avoid running out of your favourite beans, Deluxe Coffeeworks has a coffee subscription model for their famous House Blend.

Choose the bag weight, the grind, order it, have it delivered, and avoid being a grump suffering from fewer health benefits:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Deluxe Coffeeworks (@deluxecoffeeworks)

Back to the proof that coffee is good – there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence to suggest that the good stuff does wonders for your heart health, too.

The data points to how coffee may lower the risk of other health conditions (obesity, cholesterol) that can lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to the Progress on Cardiovascular Diseases study, “habitual coffee consumption is also associated with lower risks for cardiovascular (CV) death and a variety of adverse CV outcomes”.

That’s one way to live longer, no?

So while coffee can’t necessarily be recommended as a life-extending elixir, not drinking any coffee could mean missing out on the health benefits of caffeine, antioxidants, and other biologically active compounds in the morning brew.

In any case, quality over quantity. There’ll be no point in living longer if it isn’t worth it and quality coffee helps make getting up in the morning worthwhile.

[source:livescience]