New study links coffee consumption to lower mortality risks

Recent research confirms the positive impact of coffee consumption on the body. This time, scientists examined how this beverage might affect the health of people with sedentary lifestyles. The results are promising, but the researchers indicate that further studies are necessary. It is worth emphasizing that coffee will not replace physical activity.

The research aimed to assess the correlation between a sedentary lifestyle and coffee consumption and mortality due to general and cardiovascular diseases among adults in the United States. The results indicate that sitting for more than six hours a day and not consuming coffee is strongly associated with an increased risk of death from general causes and cardiovascular diseases.

Non-coffee drinkers who sat for six hours a day or longer were 58% more likely to die from any cause than coffee drinkers who sat for less than six hours a day, according to research published in April 2024 in the journal "BMC Public Health." The study utilized data from nearly 11,000 people collected between 2007 and 2018 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in the United States.

And what if someone sits a lot and drinks coffee? Huimin Zhou, a researcher at Soochow University in China and the lead author of the study, indicated in an interview with "The Washington Post" that people who led a sedentary lifestyle and drank coffee had a 24% lower risk of death compared to those who sat for more than six hours and did not drink coffee.

Researchers, mainly from Soochow University in Suzhou, China, indicate in their studies that sitting for more than eight hours a day may be associated with a 46% higher risk of mortality from any cause and a 79% greater risk of death from cardiovascular diseases compared to people who sit for less than four hours a day.

Moreover, those who drank the most coffee, over two cups a day, had a 33% lower risk of death from any cause and a 54% lower risk of death from cardiovascular diseases compared to non-coffee drinkers. In their summary, the researchers noted that "because coffee is a complex compound, further studies are necessary."

It is worth bearing in mind that coffee will not eliminate the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. And there are, unfortunately, many. The American Institute for Cancer Research warns, among other things, of colorectal, breast, and esophageal cancer. It also reminds us that a sedentary lifestyle is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.