For years we have been hearing pros and cons about coffee drinking on a daily basis. The myths about coffee drinking seem to be like the myths that link soy consumption with the risk of breast cancer. Many of these theories are now being disclaimed as new, and more extensive, research comes out with new data. The most recent research on coffee has shown that it has many beneficial qualities, including helping to extend life expectancy.

Coffee Drinking and Life Expectancy: What the Research Reveals

Author, Allison Aubrey, recently wrote an article for NPR.org entitled, Drink to Your Health: Study Links Daily Coffee Habit to Longevity. Here is a quote in her article that was made by nutrition researcher Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health:

"In our study, we found people who drank three to five cups of coffee per day had about a 15 percent lower [risk of premature] mortality compared to people who didn't drink coffee."

Later in her article, Aubrey stated that:

“We went beyond total mortality and looked at specific causes of death. And we found that people who drink moderate amounts of coffee have lower risk of [death] from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurologic disease [such as Parkinson's] and suicide.”

You may be asking the obvious question from those statements – “Why is that?”

The Link of Coffee Drinking to Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammation

Coffee, due to its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties (it is also a strong diuretic), has many health benefits. The following is just a partial list of the benefits that have been discovered through extensive research over the years:

Decreases risk of stroke and protects the heart

Protects against cardiovascular disease and heart failure

Lowers risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Cuts pain levels

Increases fiber intake

Protects the liver

Lowers risk of type 2 diabetes

Reduces depression and suicide risk

Protects against Parkinson’s disease

Strengthens the DNA strand

Reduces liver cancer risk up to 50%

Reduces breast, colon and rectal cancer risks

Reduces gout risk

Prevents retinal damage and reduces eyelid spasms

Protects against periodontal disease and helps prevent cavities

Protects against melanoma

For more information about the research findings of the above mentioned coffee drinking benefits, click here.

What Are the Coffee Drinking Disclaimers?

In this world whenever there is a product with so many benefits, we know that there are bound to be some negatives. So, what are the negatives of daily coffee drinking?

The negatives of regular coffee drinking begin when coffee becomes excessive. At that point, some of the positive benefits may become negatives. Here is a list of what you should be aware of:

Although there were found to be benefits with both caffeine and decaffeinated coffee drinking, the decaffeinating process tends to do away with many of the antioxidant properties.

When one adds sugar, cream or flavored coffee creamers to the coffee it diminishes the beneficial properties.

If you are dealing with some types of heart conditions, are pregnant or have a sensitivity to caffeine, you should think about only drinking a decaf coffee.

Be aware of the fact that all coffees are not created equal. Some may be higher in caffeine than others.

When brewed, coffees that are unfiltered (such as expressos) may produce negative results.

For some, coffee drinking may elevate blood pressure. Others have found just the opposite to be true. Check out, Does coffee cause high blood pressure?

The bottom line is that only you and your doctor will be able to determine whether regular daily coffee drinking will be beneficial to your health or not.