By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely LOVE coffee. To me, there is just nothing like a nice cup of either hot or iced coffee to perk you up during the day. Unlike a lot of people my age, I like to drink my coffee black, and as strong as possible, even to the point that I like to drink just plain iced espresso shots. Regardless of how you like your coffee, drinking coffee is actually considered to be part of a healthy lifestyle. In fact, coffee consumption has actually been shown to increase a person’s lifespan! 
According to a study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, drinking coffee, both regular and decaffeinated varieties, was linked to lower death risk, as well as a lower risk of developing heart disease. The study compared the daily coffee consumption of groups that drank no coffee, less than a cup, one cup, two to three cups, four to five cups, or more than five cups per day. The study concluded that the group that drank two to three cups of coffee per day lived longer and had fewer cardiovascular complications than the other groups, and the group that drank four to five cups per day had a lower risk of arrhythmia than the other groups.
So, what is in coffee that provides these health benefits? And does this mean that we should be drinking more coffee? According to the study’s author, Professor Peter Kistler, “Caffeine is the most well-known constituent in coffee, but the beverage contains more than 100 biologically active components. It is likely that the non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the positive relationships observed between coffee drinking, cardiovascular disease, and survival. Our findings indicate that drinking modest amounts of coffee of all types should not be discouraged but can be enjoyed as a heart-healthy behavior.”
Who knew that our morning cup of joe could actually be benefitting our health in the long run? Not only does your coffee perk you up and give you an energy boost, but it also might be helping you to live a longer, healthier life!
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