Kit Roberts
Drinking a certain amount of coffee may help to reduce the signs of aging, scientists think.
It's the drink which gets us going in the morning, dragging us from a fitful awakening into something resembling consciousness as the day bears down on us with crushing inevitability.
The fermented, roasted, and ground up beans steeped in water, or having high pressure water forced through if you're fancy and like an espresso, somehow make the morning a little more bearable for the night owls among us.
It's undoubtedly a lifeline to people who struggle in the morning, and before that the fuel of intellectual discussion, commerce, and vice in the coffee houses of 17th and 18th century London.
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But now, scientists have found that coffee might even help to slow the aging process, if taken in a specific quantity.
Of course, it's worth pointing out that coffee contains a lot of caffeine and drinking too much of it can also be bad for you.
Overconsumption can lead to anxiety, hypertension, insomnia, and a racing heart, and then withdrawal symptoms when you try to cut down.
But if you manage to drink just the right amount of caffeine, this might even help to slow aging.
The research looked at the length of telomeres, a part of DNA which can be a sign of aging.
Writer Dr Monica Aas, who works at King’s College London, said: “Telomeres are highly sensitive to both oxidative stress and inflammation, further highlighting how coffee intake could help preserve cellular ageing in a population whose pathophysiology may be predisposing them to an accelerated rate of ageing."
The research suggested that regular coffee drinkers could be the equivalent of five years younger biologically than people who don't drink coffee.
But just how much do you have to drink for this to happen?
It's around three to four cups a day to get the effect on the telomeres.
However, this is still a balance as drinking more than the recommended daily amount can have the opposite effect.
Dr Aas said: “Consuming more than the daily recommended amount of coffee may also cause cellular damage and [telomere] shortening through the formation of reactive oxygen species.”
Coffee has also caught the attention of self-described 'biohacker' Bryan Johnson, who had previously avoided drinking it as part of his plan to not die.
However, a study which showed that coffee may reduce risk of death piqued Johnson's interest as part his routine.