Can coffee really make you live longer?

People who drink coffee may live longer than non-coffee drinkers, according to a study of more than 500,000 people across ten countries.

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and Imperial College London found higher levels of coffee consumption were associated with a reduced risk of death, particularly from circulatory diseases and diseases related to the digestive tract

Men who drank three cups a day were 18 per cent less likely to die at any age from any cause, while women experienced an eight per cent drop. The results showed a similar trend no matter what variety of coffee was drank - espressos, cappuccinos, lattes or even decaf.

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However, it is unclear if this is due to the drink itself. Scientists say the link might be down to coffee-drinkers having healthier behaviours, says The Guardian.

"It is plausible that there is something else behind this that is causing this relationship," said study co-author Marc Gunter, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Critics added that while the study made adjustments for the likes of diet, exercise and smoking, other factors, such as affluence, could have a role to play.

Sir David Spiegelhalter, professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge University, warned the results should be kept in perspective, as drinking an extra cup a day would only increase the average man's life by three months and a woman's by one, reports The Independent.