Drinking coffee may not only help you wake up in the morning, but also live longer, especially if you do not add sugar and cream.

A new study by researchers at Tufts University found that drinking one or two cups of caffeinated coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, including heart disease.

However, this effect diminishes when you add too much sugar or saturated fat to your cup.

The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, looked at the health records and eating habits of more than 46,000 adults in the US between 1999 and 2018.

The data comes from a long-term national study called NHANES, which tracks trends in health and nutrition. The researchers also used data from the National Mortality Index to determine which individuals had died and the cause of their death.

They found that people who drank black coffee or coffee with little added sugar and fat had a 14% lower risk of death from any cause compared to people who did not drink coffee. This group also had a lower risk of death from heart disease. But people who added a lot of sugar and cream to their coffee did not receive the same benefits.

Coffee contains natural compounds that can improve health, such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. These compounds may be the reason for the positive effects on longevity.

However, adding sugar and high-fat dairy products may neutralize some of these benefits. In the study, "low sugar" meant less than half a teaspoon per cup, and "low fat" meant the amount in one tablespoon of light cream or five tablespoons of 2% milk.

Overall, the study found that drinking at least one cup of coffee a day was associated with a 16% lower risk of death. Drinking 2 to 3 cups a day increased the benefit slightly, reducing the risk by 17%.

However, drinking more than 3 cups does not add any additional benefit and, in fact, the association with reduced risk of heart disease becomes weaker with higher intake. No strong association was found between coffee consumption and reduced risk of death from cancer.

The study's senior author, Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, said it is important to understand how often coffee is consumed in our daily lives—almost half of all American adults drink at least one cup a day. She emphasized that while coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle, adding too much sugar or saturated fat can negate its benefits.

Lead author Binjie Zhou said their study is one of the first to measure exactly how much sugar and fat people add to their coffee. Their results support current dietary recommendations, which advise limiting the addition of sugar and saturated fat to a minimum.

The researchers also noted several limitations. Since the study is based on information provided by the participants themselves about what they consumed, the data may not be entirely accurate. In addition, there were not enough people in the group who drank decaffeinated coffee to clearly see if it had the same effects.

Still, the message is clear: if you love coffee and drink it without additives, it may help you stay healthier in the long run. | BGNES