A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that drinking one to three cups of black coffee containing caffeine per day can reduce the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. However, if you add more sugar and ice cream, these health benefits are almost gone.
The study was conducted by a team of experts at the Friedman School of Nutritional Sciences and Policy at Tufts University (USA), led by Dr. Fang Fang Zhang. The results were based on data from more than 46,000 adults in the US between 1999 and 2018.
Reduces the risk of death from black coffee
Researchers found that drinking at least one cup of caffeinated coffee a day reduced the risk of death from all causes by 16%. If you drink two to three cups a day, the risk of death is reduced by 17%. However, when you drink more than three cups, this benefit does not increase, and tends to decrease.
In particular, when participants in the study drank coffee without much sugar or saturated fat, the risk of death continued to decrease by 14% compared to those who did not drink coffee.
Dr. Zhang shares that most people do not drink pure coffee but often add milk, ice cream or sugar. She emphasized that these added ingredients can reduce or eliminate the beneficial effects of coffee.
What does nutritionist say?
Dr. Liz Weinandy, a nutritionist at Wexner Medical Center of Ohio State University, said the study was a major advance, as few studies have fully assessed the ingredients added to coffee. She also noted that black coffee contains many flavonoids and caffeine, which have been shown to help improve metabolism, increase insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation.
Meanwhile, sugar and saturated fat, often found in ice cream and coffee beans, can disrupt glucose metabolism, leading to weight gain, obesity and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The FDA currently recommends that the sugar content in a cup of coffee should be below 2.5 grams (equivalent to half a teaspoon), while saturated fat should not exceed 1 gram (equivalent to 5 tablespoons of 2% milk or a teaspoon of ice cream).
Dr. Zhang recommends: If you like coffee, continue drinking it, but control your added sugar and fat. A little milk or sugar is not a big deal, as long as you don't abuse it.
For those looking for a healthier lifestyle, small changes to their morning coffee drinking routine can bring long-term health and longevity benefits.
