Forget superfoods: Your morning coffee could be the secret to a longer life

Drinking coffee could add almost two years of healthy living to one's life, according to a new study that reviewed previously published research.

The study, published in Ageing Research Reviews journal, found that the benefits of drinking coffee "correspond to an average increase in healthspan of 1.8 years."

Researchers from Portugal suggested that as the global population ages, regular, moderate consumption of coffee could play an important role in supporting a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

"We know that the world's population is aging faster than ever, which is why it's increasingly important to explore dietary interventions which may allow people to not only live longer but also healthier lives," said Rodrigo Cunha, from the University of Coimbra in Portugal and lead author of the study.

Coffee, a widely studied commodity, has been shown to reduce deaths from various causes, including lowering the risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, and chronic diseases, among others.

While commonly associated with caffeine, coffee contains a mixture of over 2,000 potentially bioactive compounds, including those that offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, reduce neuroinflammation, and regulate insulin sensitivity.

"Our review underlines the role regular, moderate coffee consumption can play in mediating against the biological mechanisms which naturally slow or fail as we get older -- triggering a range of potential health issues and comorbidities," Cunha explained.

Furthermore, the team noted that studies suggest nutritional "anti-ageing" interventions may have a gender bias, favouring either men or women. However, the ageing-related benefits of coffee were found in both sexes.

For the review, the authors specifically focused on studies examining how coffee affects biological processes that contribute to ageing, including genomic instability and cell mutations.

Although older adults are traditionally advised to reduce or avoid coffee, the authors suggested that clinical guidelines should now be re-evaluated in light of compelling scientific evidence supporting coffee's role in healthy ageing.

"Traditional clinical recommendations have at times overlooked coffee's role in healthy aging, but with a strong research base around how regular consumption can potentially reduce some of the most chronic diseases facing society, it is likely time to re-evaluate these," Cunha said.

However, the exact mechanisms by which coffee and its components contribute to extending healthy life remain unclear, and future research could explore this further, the researchers concluded.