A new study: Coffee prolongs life and delays aging... but in a certain amount

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New research has revealed that coffee may increase a person's lifespan by up to five years, but a person must pay attention to the amount he consumes.

According to a report published by Women's Health UK magazine, and viewed by Al Arabiya.net, scientists consider telomeres a natural indicator of biological aging and longevity, as they are "the protective coverings found at the ends of DNA, and their lengths gradually shorten with the passage of time, that is, with increasing aging in humans."

Scientists have found a link between drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee and having telomeres as long as those of people five years younger than you.

But scientists said that these positive results faded when coffee consumption exceeded the four-cup mark, which means that this benefit from coffee can only be obtained by those who consume this rate daily.

According to a study published in the scientific journal BMJ Mental Health, scientists have monitored evidence indicating that drinking a specific amount of coffee daily may extend life by up to five years.

Scientists estimate that drinking between 3 and 4 cups of coffee adds 5 years to your life, and they arrived at this number based on one of the prominent indicators of longevity, which is the length of telomeres.

Telomeres are protective coverings found at the ends of DNA. They protect genetic material from corrosion or damage. Telomeres shorten naturally with age, although factors such as chronic stress and smoking may accelerate this process.

Short telomere length has been associated with an increased risk of disease and premature death. For this reason, scientists use telomere length as a "cellular clock" to estimate people's life expectancy.

In this study, researchers collected data from 436 people between the ages of 18 and 65, who reported drinking between zero and five cups of coffee daily.

To study the length of people's telomeres, the researchers took blood samples from each participant and sent them to a laboratory for analysis, extracting DNA from the blood sample and multiplying it, which allowed scientists to measure the length of telomeres, and thus determine aging.

But scientists have warned that consuming this amount of coffee increases the possibility of heartburn, which means that it may lead to other health problems in return.

Drinkers of 3 to 4 cups a day showed longer telomeres compared to non-coffee drinkers, but these noticeable effects faded when the 5-cup level was reached.

The results of this study are in line with recommendations in Britain and Europe, where health authorities, including the European Food Safety Authority, advise healthy adults not to exceed 400 milligrams of caffeine per day.

This is approximately equivalent to what is found in 3 to 4 cups of prepared coffee. When this amount is exceeded, the negatives often outweigh any potential benefits, as the risks of stomach irritation, anxiety, high blood pressure, and sleep disturbance increase.

Previous studies have linked drinking black coffee to a lower risk of developing a range of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and some types of cancer.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition last July analyzed data from 46,000 adults and found that those who drank up to 3 cups of black coffee - or coffee with low levels of added sugar and saturated fat - had a 14% lower risk of death from any cause compared to people who did not drink coffee.