Research suggests that consuming moderate amounts of caffeine can help you live longer. Scientists from Harvard wanted to see if the caffeine source matters — they tracked the midlife coffee, tea, cola and decaf coffee consumption of over 47,000 nurses.
A new Harvard study suggests that moderate coffee consumption may promote healthy aging.
Researchers tracked over 47,000 nurses for 30 years, focusing on midlife intake of coffee, tea, decaf, and cola.
“The findings suggest that caffeinated coffee — not tea or decaf — may uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function,” said Sara Mahdavi of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Women who consumed about 315 mg of caffeine daily—roughly 2.5 cups—had 2% to 5% greater odds of healthy aging, defined as living past 70 without chronic disease, cognitive decline, or physical impairment.
Soda intake showed the opposite effect. Each extra small glass of cola was linked to 20% to 26% lower odds of healthy aging.
“Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding smoking,” Mahdavi said.
“While this study adds to prior evidence suggesting coffee intake may be linked with healthy aging,” she added, “the benefits from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall healthy lifestyle habits and warrant further investigation.”