A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition has shown that drinking coffee lowers the risk of death, especially due to cardiovascular disease, but that these benefits are diminished if too much sugar and cream are added.
The prospective cohort study used data from over 46,000 adults collected between 1999 and 2018. Every participant completed a 24-hour dietary recall survey, which included the amount of coffee they drank per day and what they added to their coffee. Then, the participants were followed-up with for about 10 years, during which they were monitored for mortality, including death due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The results showed that drinking coffee was linked to a lower risk of all-cause mortality, with the greatest benefits seen for drinking 1–3 cups of coffee per day. However, these benefits were only seen for black coffee and coffee with low added sugar and low saturated fat. Low added sugar was defined as less than 5% of the Daily Value, which is 2.5 grams per 8-ounce cup (about half a teaspoon of sugar). Low saturated fat was also defined as less than 5% of the Daily Value, which is 1 gram per 8-ounce cup (about one tablespoon of half-and-half). The reductions in risk were particularly strong for cardiovascular disease deaths, although cardiovascular benefits diminished with more than three cups of coffee per day. There were no associations between coffee drinking and death due to cancer.
The authors noted that their results align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which generally limit sugar and saturated fat. Coffee has been previously associated with reduced mortality risk, but this was the first study to examine how coffee additives change risk outcomes.
Sources: The Journal of Nutrition, Science Daily