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Go ahead and pour yourself that extra cup of joe.
Coffee drinkers may already know the benefits that come with their morning pick-me-up, from feeling happier to fending off illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even Parkinson’s disease.
And now your morning ritual may add healthy years to your life, new research finds.
Unlike chronological age, which is the number of years we’ve been alive, biological aging measures the age of our cells and organs. It’s influenced by factors like genetics, lifestyle, environmental exposures and diet — and, apparently, the amount of coffee we drink.
A study published this week in the BMJ Mental Health journal found that three or four cups of coffee a day may slow biological aging in individuals with severe mental illness.
Compared to non-coffee drinkers, those who downed mug after mug gained five additional biological years.
Four 8-ounce cups are about the recommended daily amount of caffeine for adults by the Food and Drug Administration.
The new research suggests that coffee consumption may improve aging by reducing oxidative stress, an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals that damages cells and DNA.
Oxidative stress can affect telomere length, or the caps at the end of chromosomes that keep them from fraying (like the plastic tips on shoelaces). Shortened telomeres can be an indication of biological or cellular aging.
While shortened chromosomes happen naturally, the researchers noted that they appear more often in those with severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The study authors also reported that those with severe mental disorders tend to have shorter lifespans, up to 15 years less than their unaffected peers.
The researchers divided more than 400 Norwegian adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder with psychosis into four groups based on the amount of coffee they drink.
Telomere length was measured from blood samples, with researchers finding a significant difference between those who drank none, one to two, three to four or five or more cups a day.
While three or four cups lengthened telomeres, drinking more than five a day didn’t affect them or biological age.
One reason that researchers think coffee slows biological aging? Its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.
“Telomeres are highly sensitive to both oxidative stress and inflammation, further highlighting how coffee intake could help preserve cellular aging in a population whose pathophysiology may be predisposing them to an accelerated rate of aging,” they explained.
While coffee may help extend lifespan, it is a double-edged sword. Researchers warn that drinking more than the recommended amount could backfire.
“Consuming more than the daily recommended amount of coffee may also cause cellular damage and [telomere] shortening through the formation of reactive oxygen species,” the study authors wrote.
