After years of being up there with alcohol and saturated fats on the naughty list, a new study says the dark brew could in fact, be good for you.
My first thought? "Who's behind that then? Costa? Starbucks? Some coffee-growing conglomerate?" But no, the study is pukka. Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and Imperial College London.
The men in white coats (after looking at data from more than 500,000 people in 10 European countries including the UK) found that people who drink around three cups of coffee a day may actually live longer than non-coffee drinkers.
Higher coffee drinking was associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes, particularly circulatory and digestive tract diseases.
Interestingly (to me at least) the biggest consumers (per head) are the Danes at 900ml a day (nearly a litre of coffee!!) and lowest, the Italians at only 92ml. Maybe they stick to teeny tiny espresso shots...?
The finding was that even after adjustments for lifestyle factors like diet and smoking, the group drinking the most coffee had a lower risk for all causes of death compared with the abstainers.
However, readers of a female persuasion shouldn't go rushing out for a cappuccino bucket just yet. Results for the girls were slightly less beneficial. Still an 8% reduction in mortality.
Still a good reason to celebrate with Silvia Nacamulli's delicious chocolate espresso mousse
