Fetching that third or fourth coffee of the day could actually pay off in the long run.
A study of nearly 20,000 people, presented by Spanish researchers during the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona, found that drinking four cups of coffee daily significantly lowered risk of death.
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Researchers at the hospital followed 19,896 participants for an average of 10 years. Those who drank at least four cups of coffee per day had a 64 percent lower risk of dying than people who never or rarely drank it.
The study also found that in people 45 or older, two additional cups of joe each day further lowered death risk by 22 percent.
“This may be due to a stronger protective association among older participants," Dr. Adela Navarro, a cardiologist at Hospital de Navarra, said of that finding in a statement. “Our findings suggest that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.”
Over the 10-year period, 337 participants died, researchers said.