Does drinking java lengthen your life?

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As we reported in May 2016, regularly drinking coffee is associated with lower blood pressure, less weight gain with aging, and less chance of developing type 2 diabetes or dying from cardiovascular or neurological diseases. Now a pair of 16-year studies published July 10, 2017, in Annals of Internal Medicine link coffee drinking with longevity. One study analyzed the coffee consumption of more than 520,000 men and women. People who drank three or more cups of coffee per day — either caffeinated or decaffeinated — were up to 12% less likely to die during the study, compared with people who didn't drink coffee. The other study involved more than 185,000 middle-age or older coffee drinkers who were African American, Native Hawaiian, Japanese American, Latino, or white. Those who drank four or more cups per day were 18% less likely to die for any reason during the study period compared with nondrinkers. This was the first large study of coffee drinking and longevity that included a racially and ethnically diverse group of people. The findings from these studies suggest, but don't prove, that regular coffee drinking helps you live longer. The beneficial effect of coffee seemed to plateau at more than four cups per day.