Share on PinterestScientists have found that coffee may have anti-aging and protective effects for certain populations. Tatjana Zlatkovic/Stocksy
- Three to five cups of coffee a day could help increase the often shortened life span of people with major psychiatric disorders, according to a new study.
- The study found that drinking this amount of coffee — but not more — was associated with lengthened telomeres, which are cellular markers of one’s age.
- Coffee appeared to be adding five extra years to the study participants’ life spans.
For people with major psychiatric disorders, drinking 3–5 cups of coffee each day may slow the premature aging that is typically associated with such conditions, according to a new study published in BMJ Mental Health.
The study found that coffee inhibits the shortening of telomeres, cellular markers of aging.
People with such conditions typically have shorter telomeres than other people.
Telomeres are regions of repetitive DNA at the end of chromosomes that protect the chromosomes from becoming frayed or otherwise damaged. Over time, telomeres wear down and become shortened, an indicator of cellular age and aging.
3–5 cups of coffee per day linked to longer lives
People with major psychiatric disorders generally have shorter telomeres than the average person, and their life span is typically 15 years shorter.
These early deaths are often from cardiovascular disease and cancers that are common in people of more advanced age. This has led researchers toward an investigation of the shortened telomeres that people with psychiatric disorders tend to have.
People with these disorders who drank 3–5 daily cups of coffee had telomere lengths equivalent to people 5 years younger in biological age.
The cross-sectional study involved 436 people who were either on the schizophrenic spectrum or who had affective, bipolar, or major depressive disorder with psychosis. All participants were within an 18–65-year age range.
Data were collected between 2007 and 2018, with participants recruited from four psychiatric units in Oslo, Norway, for the Norwegian Thematically Organised Psychosis study. Telomere and coffee consumption data were available for all of the participants.
The authors of the current study found that participants who reported no coffee consumption had shorter telomere lengths than those who drank the recommended number of cups daily. People who drank five or more cups of coffee a day did not have longer telomeres.
How coffee might be affecting telomeres
The authors of the study suggest that coffee’s benefits might derive from its recognized antioxidant properties.
Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, a registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease, not involved in the study, explained to Medical News Today what we currently know about coffee:
“Coffee contains bioactive compounds, particularly chlorogenic acids and trigonelline, that act as antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals and activating cellular defense pathways to protect DNA from oxidative damage.”
In terms of telomeres, she suggested, “CGA and trigonelline likely slow telomere shortening by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.”
Routhenstein pointed out that coffee’s benefits likely come from its polyphenols — plant compounds in coffee — not its caffeine.
What’s the right amount of coffee?
The authors of the study found that 3–5 cups of coffee have a beneficial effect on telomere length. That does not mean that the more coffee one drinks, the better.
“Our findings indicate that coffee consumption is linked to a younger biological age, but these findings disappear if the person consumes too much coffee,” said Monica Aas, PhD, of King’s College London in the United Kingdom.
Aas is the senior author of the study and provided insights for MNT along with the study’s first author, doctoral researcher Vid Mlakar.
“We need to move away from viewing coffee as simply good or bad,” Aas and Mlakar proposed. “Our study shows that moderate consumption of coffee may have beneficial effects, but excessive consumption is not recommended, and may even have adverse effects. “
“Thus, reducing coffee consumption in some individuals and introducing it in others may have a potential beneficial effect,” they said. “ However, more studies are needed before we can [draw definitive conclusions].”
Too much coffee can be counterproductive in this context.
First, the study authors said, “excessive coffee consumption may reduce sleep quality, which has been linked to faster biological aging. Insufficient sleep also reduces mental robustness and increases negative stress, which again may harm telomere length and biological aging.”
Second, “consuming excessive amounts of coffee,” they cautioned, “may also cause cellular damage and telomere length shortening [emphasis added] through the formation of reactive oxygen species.”
“Excessive caffeine intake,” Routhenstein added, “can [also] cause insomnia, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, reduced calcium and iron absorption, bone thinning, and digestive discomfort.”
There are other foods, too, that have been associated with telomere shortening, she said: “Diets high in processed meats, added sugars, refined grains, and high-glycemic foods are linked to shorter telomeres because they increase oxidative stress and inflammation.”
“Processed meats,” Routhenstein told us, “contain nitrates and other preservatives that promote oxidative stress. Added sugars and high-glycemic foods raise blood sugar and insulin, which drive inflammation.”
Some limitations to consider
This is a cross-sectional study, a snapshot of a specific population. It does not follow participants over time in controlled circumstances.
As such, it can only observe an association, such as the one between coffee consumption and telomere length, even while accounting for other factors. It cannot prove a causative connection.
The authors themselves state several concerns, starting with the self-reported nature of participants’ coffee consumption. The total number of cups per day was reported, but neither the time of day nor details such as whether the coffee was instant or brewed, the concentration of coffee, or other sources of caffeine were captured.
A full record of other medications participants might have been taking was also unavailable to the study authors.
They also note that telomere length was measured using a single standard. Additional telomere measurement systems may have offered additional precision.
Finally, telomeres are just one of the markers currently used in assessing an individual’s age. Ideally, supplementing it with epigenetic clocking and brain age measurements could bring further clarity to the effect of coffee on aging.
