We are huge coffee fans in the UK, consuming almost 100 million cups of the stuff every day. Many people use it as a way to help them wake up in the morning and feel energised for the day ahead.
While these benefits are proven, research has also suggested that drinking coffee could actually extend your life expectancy.
More specifically, the drink was found to lower your risk of dying early if you have a sedentary lifestyle.
A new study, published in BMC Public Health, found that while sitting for long periods increased the risk of death, regular coffee drinkers seemed to be protected from this effect.
As part of the research, a team from the Medical College of Soochow University in China, analysed data from more than 10,000 US adults.
They focused on information collected between 2007 and 2018, following participants for up to 13 years, Study Finds reports.
Researchers took into account two main factors: how long people sat each day and how much coffee they drank.
The participants were grouped based on their daily sitting time (less than four hours, four to six hours, six to eight hours, or more than eight hours) and their coffee consumption (non-drinkers and three levels of consumption for coffee drinkers).
Other factors that could influence mortality risk, such as age, sex, race, education level, income, body mass index, and various health conditions, were also taken into consideration.
Overall, the study found that people who sat for more than eight hours a day had a 46 percent higher risk of dying from any cause and a 79 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who sat for less than four hours daily.
This isn’t new though, with previous studies also linking sedentary lifestyles with increased health risks.
But this study found that coffee drinkers in the highest consumption group (more than three to four cups per day) had a 33 percent lower risk of dying from any cause and a 54 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to non-coffee drinkers.
It also showed that non-coffee drinkers who sat for six or more hours per day were 58 percent more likely to die from any cause than coffee drinkers who sat for less than six hours.
The increased mortality risk associated with prolonged sitting was only observed in non-coffee drinkers, not in those who consumed coffee.
Study authors branded coffee a “miracle” drink.
They wrote: “We found that sedentary behaviour was independently associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.
“In contrast, all-cause mortality was reduced in the highest quintile of coffee intake, and the decreased risk for CVD mortality was significantly associated with any amount of coffee consumption.
“Notably, the results of a joint analysis of this study identified that the association of sedentary with increased mortality was only observed among adults with no coffee consumption but not among those who had coffee intake.
“Given that coffee is a complex compound, further research is needed to explore this miracle compound.”
However, it is worth noting that the team used self-reported data for sitting time, which may not always be accurate.
They also didn’t differentiate between different types of coffee (espresso, filtered, etc.) or consider the effects of added sugar or cream.
Furthermore, while the study showed a strong association between coffee consumption and reduced mortality risk in people who sit for long periods, it can’t prove that coffee directly causes this protective effect.