Coffee has long been linked with longevity and an increased lifespan, but evidence is mounting as to the strength of that connection. According to recent research, people who drink coffee (even with a teaspoon of sugar) are likely to live longer. 

In the past few months, two new studies have confirmed what many java fiends have always hoped was the case: coffee drinkers seem to live longer. 

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The first – a decade-long study by Semmelweis University in Hungary and Queen Mary University of London, published in April 2022 – followed almost half a million people, and found that regular coffee drinkers were 12 percent less likely to die than non-coffee drinkers, and up to 20 percent less likely to suffer from a stroke or cardiovascular disease. 

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest volume of research to date focusing on the cardiovascular effects of coffee consumption,” said Dr Steffan Peterson, one of the study’s authors.

Another study, published in May 2022, came to similar conclusions. Conducted by researchers at Guangzhou’s Southern Medical University in China, it reviewed data from the UK Biobank on more than 171,000 people, including groups who consumed both sweetened and unsweetened coffee. 

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This study found that all groups of coffee drinkers were less likely to die, regardless of whether they added a teaspoon of sugar to their daily cup of joe. In fact, those who consumed sweetened coffee did slightly better: they were 31 percent less likely to die, compared with 21 percent for drinkers of unsweetened coffee.

Lifespan isn’t the only positive health effect that’s been noted, either. Another study, also published in May, saw researchers from Johns Hopkins University conclude that coffee drinkers were around 15 percent less likely to suffer from an acute kidney injury, compared to non-coffee drinkers, leading them to posit that it could present an opportunity for cardiorenal protection through diet. 

In all three studies, the effects were most pronounced among those who consumed a moderate amount of coffee: somewhere between 1 to 3.5 cups per day. 

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