WOMEN’S HEALTH – Having several cups of black coffee could help you live longer, according to a new study published in The Journal of Nutrition.
While there are certainly folks out there who drink their coffee black, data suggest that the majority of people usually prefer to add cream or milk and sugar.
Here’s what you should know.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from 46,000 adults. The researchers specifically looked at the type of coffee people drank, if any, as well as how much sugar and saturated fat (in the form of milk or creamer) they put in their drink.
The researchers then compared those findings against mortality due to things like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and any cause.
The results were fascinating:
Having up to three cups of black coffee or coffee with “low” levels of added sugar and saturated fat were linked with a 14 percent lower risk of dying from any cause compared to people who didn’t drink coffee. (They defined “low” added sugar as ½ teaspoon of sugar per 8-ounce cup. “Low” saturated fat was under 5 tablespoons of 2 percent milk, or 1 tablespoon of light cream or half and half.)
But adding more sweeteners and saturated fat wiped out the health perks.
As a result, the researchers concluded that “the health benefits of coffee consumption may be diminished when sugar and saturated fat are added.”
Basically, you can have a little sugar and creamer in your coffee if you’re drinking it for longevity, but adding a bunch isn’t going to help you in the health department.
Why? For starters, the addition of added sugar and saturated fat can contribute to a high level of calories consumed from coffee, which might pontentially counterbalance coffee’s health benefits …
