New research suggests that drinking about two or three cups of coffee per day could reduce one's risk of death from heart disease and other illnesses, NPR reported.
Researchers from Harvard University found that people who regularly drank moderate amounts of coffee daily - less than five cups per day -- experienced a lower risk of deaths from cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, Type 2 diabetes and suicide.
The benefit held true for drinking caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, suggesting it's not just the caffeine providing health perks but possibly the naturally occurring chemical compounds in the coffee beans.
"There is no evidence of harm of regular consumption in terms of chronic disease risk or mortality, and consistent evidence that consumption of coffee reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease," Dr. Frank Hu, senior author of the study, told Reuters Health. "People who are already drinking it should continue to enjoy it, but for people who don't drink it or don't like it, there's no particular reason to start for the sole reason of health."
The findings are based on data from three large ongoing studies: 74,890 women in the Nurses' Health Study; 93,054 women in the Nurses' Health Study 2; and 40,557 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
In general, people who frequently drank coffee were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol. To separate the effects of coffee from smoking, researchers repeated their analysis among never-smokers, and found that the protective benefits of coffee on deaths became even more evident.
"Regular consumption of coffee can be included as part of a healthy, balanced diet," Hu said. "However, certain populations such as pregnant women and children should be cautious about high caffeine intake from coffee or other beverages."
The findings are detailed in the journal Circulation.
