Drinking coffee may help you live longer

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In recent years, coffee drinkers have enjoyed lots of encouraging data. The fragrant brew has been associated with a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's, to name just a few positive reported effects. Now a study from the Annals of Internal Medicine says coffee may actually help people live longer.

Researchers studied about 42,000 men from Harvard University's Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and 84,000 women from its Nurses' Health Study. Investigators compared the frequency and causes of death among people with different coffee-drinking habits.

The results showed that healthy people who drank coffee were less likely to die during the study period than healthy people who didn't, mainly because of their lower risk for heart disease. What's more, decaf seemed to provide the same benefit as regular coffee, leading the study authors to suggest that the protective benefits come not from caffeine but from substances in the coffee itself.

So whether you need to fill up your travel mug for the morning commute to your practice or you need an afternoon break before you finish the charting, drink up. You may be helping your heart and your life span as well as perking up your day.