People who don’t drink coffee and sit for more than six hours are at 60 per cent higher risk of dying than those drinking coffee and sitting for less than six hours. It sounds absurd, but it’s true. Recently BioMed Central (BMC) Public Health published research in a journal claiming that individuals who drink coffee and sit for over six hours daily have lower mortality rates than non-coffee drinkers. The study reveals an elevated mortality risk among sedentary non-coffee drinkers, while this wasn’t seen in the coffee drinkers in the study of over up to 13 years which involved more than 10,000 adults in the United States.
Sedentary behaviour is linked with various health risks, the findings indicate that coffee intake may help in mitigating the increased mortality risk for people with prolonged sittings.
According to a media outlet, researchers at the School of Public Health at Soochow University’s Medical College in China discovered that coffee drinkers who lead sedentary lifestyles face a 24 per cent lower risk of death as compared to non-coffee drinkers who sit for six hours daily. The finding was not originally included in the study upon the request of The Washington Post.
Consuming coffee reduces the risk of metabolic problems known to worsen inflammation, it contributes to heightening death risk because of sedentary behaviour.
The author observed a 33 per cent reduction in the overall mortality risk among the quarter of participants consuming the highest quantities of coffee, as compared to those who do not drink coffee. These findings align with previous studies indicating that increased coffee consumption is associated with lower mortality from any cause and heart disease.
Coffee contains anti-inflammatory compounds like caffeine and polyphenols. However, how exactly coffee works in the body to lower the risk of dying is still unclear, the researcher said.
The research revealed that sitting for over eight hours a day increases the risk of death by 40 per cent from any cause and almost 80 per cent higher risk of dying due to heart disease.
“Given that coffee is a complex compound, further research is needed to explore this miracle compound,” the authors wrote.
First Published: Jun 26 2024 | 6:01 PM IST
