Association between coffee consumption and mortality

A new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings investigated the association between coffee consumption and the risk of mortality presents findings that are out of step with prevailing science as well as with widely accepted research methods.

The researchers’ hypothesis of a ’21% increase in mortality among subjects under 55 years of age who drank more than 28 cups of coffee per week is neither supported by the preponderance of scientific literature linking 
coffee with reduced mortality risk, nor the research methods deployed in the current study. 
 
The prevailing body of scientific evidence affirms that coffee is associated with a lower risk of  dying at a young age. The largest-ever analysis of coffee and mortality found a clear connection  between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of dying from any cause.

The findings, published just last year, spanned all consumption levels among 400,000 women and men. Compared to men who drank no coffee, those who drank two to three cups of coffee each day has a 10% mortality reduction, while those who drank four to five cups daily had a 12% mortality reduction. In women, the mortality reductions were even more prominent, with those who drank two to three cups of coffee each day having a 13% mortality reduction, while those who drank four to five cups daily had a 16% mortality reduction. Such favorable mortality risk reductions held across all causes, as well as for specific causes including heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke and diabetes. 
 
Additionally, a very recent meta-analysis assessed 23 independent studies and concluded that coffee drinkers are at a lower risk of mortality from all causes than people who do not drink coffee. 

The Study did not eliminate confounding factors like body mass index and smoking. In fact, the study found that those who consumed higher amounts of coffee were more likely to smoke and had lower levels of cardiovascular fitness.