A study found that people with serious mental health conditions may age more slowly at the cellular level if they drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day.
This habit was linked to longer telomeres, which are a sign of biological aging. Drinking more than four cups didn’t show the same benefit. Researchers think the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances in coffee might be why.
Moderate Coffee intake and Slower biological Aging
research published in the journal BMJ Mental Health reports that drinking up to 3-4 cups of coffee a day may help slow down the biological aging of people with severe mental illness. This amount of coffee was linked to longer telomeres-markers of cellular aging-and researchers estimate this difference is like having 5 extra years of biological youth compared to people who don’t drink coffee.
These benefits weren’t seen with higher amounts of coffee.The 3-4 cup limit also matches the daily amount recommended by health organizations like the NHS and the US Food and Drug Management.
What Telomeres Are and Why They Matter
telomeres are at the ends of chromosomes and work like the plastic tips on shoelaces, keeping them from unraveling.Telomeres naturally get shorter as you age, but this happens faster in people with major psychiatric disorders, like psychosis, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
Because telomeres are affected by things like diet, the researchers wanted to see if coffee could help slow down telomere loss in people with serious mental illness. Coffee has been linked to health benefits when you drink it in moderation, so it was a good thing to study.
Who Was in the Study
The study looked at data from 436 adults who took part in the Norwegian Thematically Organised Psychosis (TOP) study between 2007 and 2018. Of these participants, 259 had schizophrenia, and 177 had affective disorders, including bipolar disorder.