Science Says Your Starbucks Addiction Might Actually Help You Live Longer

What if I told you your unbreakable Starbucks addiction could actually benefit you in more ways than one?

Sure, your daily cup of coffee may give you a bit of an edge on a brutal Monday morning, but what if that cup of coffee helped you live longer, too?

In a recent study conducted by researchers at Stanford University, it was found coffee may help fight against a chronic inflammatory process that typically occurs late in life.

Using the blood samples of over 100 participants, scientists were able to establish a connection "between advancing age, systemic inflammation, cardiovascular disease and coffee consumption," according to Stanford Medicine.

The study highlights the chronic inflammatory process typically experienced by elderly people is an active driver of cardiovascular disease. In addition, the process increases mortality.

David Furman, the study's lead author, revealed,

More than 90 percent of all noncommunicable diseases of aging are associated with chronic inflammation.

So, how exactly does our beloved coffee help combat these deteriorating illnesses?

Furman added,

It's also well-known that caffeine intake is associated with longevity. Many studies have shown this association. We've found a possible reason for why this may be so.

It turns out the inflammatory mechanism was found to be active in some of the older participants studied.

Our findings show that an underlying inflammatory process, which is associated with aging, is not only driving cardiovascular disease but is, in turn, driven by molecular events that we may be able to target and combat.

So, how exactly do you "target and combat" the chronic inflammatory process? Interestingly, the mechanism was found to be inactive in participants who frequently drank caffeinated beverages, like coffee.

The report states,

Laboratory experiments revealed that the mechanism was directly countered by caffeine and associated compounds.

The results came as a surprise to researchers who weren't intending to find caffeine beneficial to combat these chronic processes. The report continues,

That something many people drink — and actually like to drink — might have a direct benefit came as a surprise to us. We didn't give some of the mice coffee and the others decaf. What we've shown is a correlation between caffeine consumption and longevity.

So, yeah, drink coffee if you want to live longer, my friends.

This groundbreaking study is just another reason for you to keep ordering Venti-sized drinks.

Citations: Caffeine may counter age-related inflammation (Stanford Medicine)