I have one or two cups of coffee a day,”says 26-year-old Kaja Walsh.
However, this applies to the days when the student is not at work: she brews coffee for customers of a coffee bar in the Oslo District Court of First Instance.
“Much more then,” she admits.
Confirmation of previous assumptions
But, apparently, just about this she should not worry. A scientific study published this week in the authoritative JAMA Internal Medicine confirms the findings of separate studies and the assumptions made earlier: coffee drinkers live longer than those who stay away from smoking caffeine drinks.
Eight cups a day
Promotional video:
Almost half a million Britons have been monitored for over ten years. Almost 110 thousand of them did not drink coffee. 214 thousand preferred instant coffee, 87 thousand drank different types of filter coffee or brewed coffee, and 74 thousand drank decaffeinated coffee. Approximately 10,000 respondents drank eight cups of coffee or more daily.
During the 10 years that the study was conducted, 14,225 participants died. Scientists took into account all possible variables and concluded that the risk of dying for those ten years for those who stayed away from coffee was 10-15% higher. It seems that coffee drinkers live longer regardless of the type of coffee and its quantity. This finding also applied to a group that drank eight or more cups daily.
In Norway, health authorities said last year that coffee made with a French press, stove-brewed coffee, espresso and coffee from capsule machines contains fats that raise cholesterol levels. But filtered and instant coffee were on the list with a plus sign. British figures do not reflect the difference between these types of coffee.
Calm coffee lovers
The new study concludes, "The results provide additional evidence that coffee consumption can be part of a healthy diet and can calm the coffee drinker and enjoy it."
Previous research has suggested that certain substances in coffee may help treat inflammation and improve insulin absorption. Erikka Loftfield, the study's principal author and scientist at the US National Cancer Institute, told AP that they are still looking for an explanation for why coffee clearly lengthens life. She points out that coffee contains over a thousand chemical compounds.
Black coffee: good or bad?
Linn Kvalvik, 31, gets a cup of coffee from barista Kaya Walsh and says she drinks two to three cups of coffee daily - often with milk.
“Is this great? I am inclined to say that you cannot say that black coffee is something unhealthy,”says Qualvik. Walsh doesn't know the answer either.
“One day, black coffee can be something healthy. In the other, unhealthy. I will stick to research that says black coffee is not bad for your health,”Walsh smiles.
Went to tea
Australian tourists Mark and Kate Darby, both in their 60s, are not tempted to believe in the information that coffee lengthens life.
“We switched to tea. Both began to feel a little worse, from coffee we started heartburn,”says Keith. But they do not rule out that for most people, coffee can be useful and strengthen their health.
They don't like what kind of tea is served in Norway.
“This is the first place during our trip to Norway and Sweden, where we were served real tea in a teapot,” she says.
Kjetil Hanssen
