This Summer, we noticed a few new - very extensive and comprehensive- studies on the benefits of drinking coffee… which seemed perfect for our last technical Summer series article! Below are some summaries and links to the studies, which we hope you’ll enjoy learning about:
In the most recent study published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, daily coffee consumption was associated with longer lives on 171,616 people (mean age 55), followed for 9 years. Compared with those who did not drink coffee, daily coffee drinkers (1-5 cups per day) had lower risks for all-cause mortality after adjusting for lifestyle, sociodemographic, and other health factors. Benefits were most pronounced among the group who drank between two and four cups per day, whose risk of early death was 30% less likely than non-coffee drinkers. Interestingly, the positive effects were a lot less pronounced for those who drank coffee with an artificial sweetener, as opposed to real cream or sugar (one teaspoon, on average). Researchers believe other factors may be at play, including higher rates of obesity and hypertension among those using artificial sweeteners (yet recent studies on the effects of artificial sweeteners on gut microbiota suggest it may be best to stick to natural sweeteners, just milk/cream, or our favorite - just black!).
Back in April, three studies presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session found that drinking coffee - particularly 2-3 cups a day - was associated with a lower risk of heart disease and had a heart-protective effect for both people with and without cardiovascular disease. For the first study, researchers examined data from 382,535 people (mean age 57) without heart disease to see whether coffee drinking played a role in the development of heart disease or stroke during the 10 years of follow up. In general, having two to three cups of coffee a day was associated with the greatest benefit, translating to a 10%-15% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, heart failure, a heart rhythm problem, or dying. The second study included 34,279 individuals who had cardiovascular disease. Coffee intake at two to three cups a day was also associated with lower odds of dying compared with having no coffee. Importantly, consuming coffee was not associated with a higher risk of heart rhythm problems, including atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is a common concern. In fact, in the 24,111 people who had arrhythmia, drinking coffee was actually associated with a 20% lower risk of death. In a third study, researchers looked at whether there were any differences in the relationship between coffee and cardiovascular disease depending on whether someone drank caffeinated or decaf. They found, once again, two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day to be associated with the lowest risk of arrhythmias, blockages in the heart's arteries, stroke or heart failure. Decaf coffee did not have favorable effects against arrhythmia or heart failure, but did reduce cardiovascular disease. The studies attributed the benefits not only to caffeine, but to the over 100 biologically active compounds in coffee beans that can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, boost metabolism, and inhibit the gut's absorption of fat.
We hope this was an interesting read… and it makes us so immensely happy to be able to offer you a delicious cup of coffee that we know will benefit your health in the long run… thank you for starting your day Brewing Greatness with us,
💛 Jolian & Lisbeth
P.S. The new crop of Poaquil should be finally arriving at the roastery in early September! 🙌 (we’ll announce it on our website and Instagram/Facebook, and we’ll be sending samples in your boxes as soon as it arrives!).
