New Harvard Study Shows Coffee Drinkers Live Longer

Coffee drinkers can now feel guilt-free when they reach for their second (or third) cup of the day. According to The New York Times, a study has concluded that coffee drinkers have a lower mortality rate than those who do not consume the beverage. The very detailed study — conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health — followed a group of 20,000 nurses and doctors over the course of 30 years. Throughout the three decades, they received regular check ups, and participated in several questionnaires about their behavior, coffee consumption, and diet.

The results? The large study determined that those who drank one cup of coffee per day reduced their risk of death by six percent, while those who drank up to three cups daily reduced it by eight percent. The highest reduction in risk of death came for those who consumed three to five cups per day, decreasing their mortality rate by 15 percent. The study found that coffee drinkers were less likely to die from strokes, diabetes, heart disease, suicide, and neurological diseases. The risk of death from cancer, however, did not decrease with coffee consumption. While there was no difference between the consumption of decaf versus regular brews, the results were gathered from nonsmokers only and the correlation persisted after considering age, B.M.I., alcohol consumption, and other health factors.

Coffee culture has become a hot topic over the past couple of years and baristas have been steadily gaining more exposure — the job is currently the central topic of a film centered around the National Barista Championship. The positive results from this study may serve to continue to increase the global demand for the crop — which some project will result in a coffee bean shortage in the next decade. From fancy latte concoctions to a cheap cup of joe to the perfect coffee made right in your home, Americans — especially millennials— love coffee so much that caffeine has become one of the most popular drugs in the country. So, whether you drink the strongest coffee in the world, the flavor of the season, or just plain black, caffeine lovers are likely to be pleased with the new findings.