Two cups of coffee a day could help you live longer, new research says

It turns out your morning caffeine fix could actually be boosting your health

Drinking two cups of coffee a day could increase your life expectancy, a new study has found. Chris Whiteoak / The National

There are many conflicting health reports out there when it comes to coffee, but according to latest research, a moderate daily dose of caffeine can actually increase your life expectancy.

Two cups of coffee a day can add up to two years to your life, according to a study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology.

Researchers analysed the findings of 40 previous studies around coffee consumption. These studies contained 3,852,651 subjects and looked at 450,256 causes of death.

From these figures, researchers discovered that those who drank a moderate amount of coffee – between two and four cups a day – saw all-round reduced mortality rates, regardless of their weight, alcohol consumption, whether or not they smoked, and the caffeine content of their coffee.

The data showed that compared with those who drank no coffee, those who regularly drank controlled amounts went on to live slightly longer. Researchers also found that the link between coffee and mortality was stronger in Europe and Asia than in the US.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Astrid Nehlig, a research director at France's National Institute of Health, said: "It is difficult to calculate, but my feeling is that drinking coffee possibly adds another couple of years to your life."

She added that this could be down to the effect of coffee, which can increase focus and make drinkers more alert.

Previous studies have found multiple other benefits of drinking coffee, including reducing the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Another recent study, carried out at the University of South Australia, sought to investigate how much coffee is too much – and found the results to be surprisingly high.

Researchers discovered that keeping coffee consumption under six cups per day was unlikely to affect heart health. However, they found that any more than six was likely to lead to a rise in blood pressure, putting extra strain on the heart. According to their findings, drinking six or more cups of coffee a day could increase risk of cardiovascular disease by 22 per cent.

"Most people would agree that if you drink a lot of coffee, you might feel jittery, irritable or perhaps even nauseous – that's because caffeine helps your body work faster and harder, but it is also likely to suggest that you may have reached your limit for the time being," said professor Elina Hypponen, who led the study.

"We also know that the risk of cardiovascular disease increases with high blood pressure, a known consequence of excess caffeine consumption," she added. "In order to maintain a healthy heart and a healthy blood pressure, people must limit their coffees to fewer than six cups a day — based on our data six was the tipping point where caffeine started to negatively affect cardiovascular risk."