Espresso a day keeps the death away
Good news for espresso lovers. Along with the well-documented performance enhancement a shot offers, Italian scientists have now found it can help prevent death, which is always good.
In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition on New Year’s Eve, 20,487 men and women aged between 35-94 who were free from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer were followed for a median of 8.3 years. Researchers found an inverse relationship between espresso intake and all causes of mortality and in particular with cardiovascular disease mortality.
When compared to those who had a low coffee intake, one espresso or less per day, those who had a higher intake of espressos per day had a reduced relative risk of all mortality. The study suggests the reduction on the normal mortality risk for those drinking up to three to four espressos per day could be reduced by as much as 28%, compared those who drank little or no espresso. When specifically looking at death by cardiovascular disease the reduced risk was even greater.
While scientists can’t pinpoint exactly why such associations were found, one belief is that it is the result of an increase in N-terminal pro B–type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) a peptide found in the body. The positive cardiovascular effects are hypothesized to be related to lower systolic Blood pressure, similar to the effect exercise has on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study can be found at Academic.oup.com
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