Skip to main content

Drink up: Study links coffee with healthy aging in women

By Neal Augenstein

Drinking coffee appears to be linked with healthier aging by potentially lowering the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative disease.

“A recent study followed over 47,000 women for several decades, and it found that those who consumed the highest amounts of caffeine, primarily from coffee, have 13% greater odds of healthy aging,” said Christie Youssef, a family medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente in Fairfax, Virginia.

“Healthy aging in this study was defined as reaching the age of 70 or older without major chronic diseases or cognitive impairment,” said Youssef.

Youssef said the study adds to a growing body evidence of benefits of caffeinated coffee, but cannot prove direct cause and effect.

According to the study, researchers didn’t find any indication that tea or decaffeinated coffee held the same benefits as caffeinated coffee. Drinking more cola was tied to a significantly lower chance of healthy aging.

“To consume coffee moderately, you want to consider sticking to two to four cups per day,” said Youssef. “And keep in mind that one cup means 8 ounces, not a jumbo mug.”

She suggests avoiding limiting sugar and high fat creamers, especially those containing processed additives.

“Think about flavoring your coffee with a splash of unsweetened plant milk, or cinnamon or vanilla extract, instead of syrups or flavored creamers,” Youssef said.

While benefits of caffeine include improved alertness and memory support, excessive intake can cause jitteriness and insomnia, headaches or increased heart rate.

The research, led by Harvard University’s school of public health, was presented on June 2 at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting.

States seek to lower drug prices by targeting the companies that manage them for health plans

By The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — As consumers worry about medication costs, states are trying to lower drug prices by reining in big companies that oversee prescription coverage for health insurers. Some of those companies, called pharmacy benefit managers, also own pharmacies, and one of them, CVS, has spent millions of dollars fighting the regulations. Affordability is a key issue ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Legislators in at least a dozen states passed laws this year to limit compensation to the companies, set minimum payments from the companies to pharmacists and require the companies to disclose more information to their clients, states and the public. A Tennessee law will bar pharmacy benefit managers from operating retail pharmacies as of July 1, 2028, though CVS Health Corp. has filed a federal lawsuit to avoid having to close its 136 pharmacies there.
Read Next Story