Staff Writer Lavanya Mahendrakumar discusses recent research published from King’s College London suggesting that coffee could be linked to slower aging.
A new study by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London (KCL) demonstrated a link between coffee consumption and telomere length in people with severe mental health disorders.
Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA at the end of chromosomes that protect chromosomes from wear and tear. DNA is a foundational structure in bodily cells that contains information on growth and functioning. It is organised into structures called chromosomes. Each time a cell in our body replicates, these telomeres get shorter until eventually, the cell is unable to replicate and dies. This shortening is associated with aging and mortality.
KCL researchers investigated coffee consumption and telomere length of 436 adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder with psychosis. Consuming up to four cups of coffee a day was linked to longer telomere length, which corresponded to a biological age five years younger than participants who did not drink coffee. The longest telomere length was found for participants consuming three or four cups of coffee a day. However, participants who drank more than four cups of coffee a day had shorter telomeres – the positive effect no longer remained.
These findings remained even after controlling for differences in age, sex, ethnicity, medication, and tobacco use. However, the study did not consider different types of coffee, amount of caffeine in the coffee or other sources of caffeine (e.g. tea, sodas) and time of consumption. Moreover, further research, especially longitudinal research, is needed to understand whether this is a causal factor.
It has been found that people with mental health disorders tend to consume more coffee – this study suggests a potential benefit to this pattern. The study found a promising association that, with more evidence to back it up, could help clinicians form lifestyle recommendations for people with severe mental health disorders. As interest in telomere length continues to grow, studies like this help us understand how everyday actions and behaviours can influence cellular longevity and aging.
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