Certain types of coffee may help you live past 90 (but you'll have to go to Greece to drink it)

Daily Mail. United Kingdom.

By ANTHONY BOND

PUBLISHED: 20 March 2013 18:26 GMT, 2

For many people, it is their kick-start to the day.
But a new study has found that drinking certain types of coffee could also help you to live longer.
Researchers studied the elderly inhabitants of Greek Island Ikaria, who boast the highest rates of longevity in the world.

Findings: A new study has found that drinking certain types of coffee could help you to live longer

Download the entire article as a .pdf, here:

Vasc Med-2013-Siasos-Coffee.pdf

They found that a cup of boiled Greek coffee could hold the key to good cardiovascular health, according to a new study published in SAGE journal Vascular Medicine.
However those who drank normal coffee, like those favoured in the UK, did not display the same good health, the study found.

Study author Dr Gerasimos Siasos, from the University of Athens Medical School, said: 'Boiled Greek type of coffee, which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants and contains only a moderate amount of caffeine, seems to gather benefits compared to other coffee beverages.

'This study provides a new connection between nutritional habits and cardiovascular health.

'Given the extent of coffee drinking across the world, and the fact that even small health effects of at least one type of coffee could have a large impact on public health, this study provides an interesting starting point.'

Ikarians are twice as likely to live past the age of 90 than in any other part of Europe, with the islanders tending to live out their latter years in good health, researchers said.

Unfortunate: Normal coffee which we favour in the UK does not display the same good health. This is a file

Researchers from University of Athens Medical School looked at links between coffee-drinking habits and endothelial function, which helps to regulate blood clotting and assist the immune system.

A dysfunctional endothelial can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes.

Recent studies suggest that moderate coffee consumption may reduce the risks of heart disease, and have a positive impact on aspects of endothelial health.

Of the 142 islanders over 65 polled, those who drank only Greek boiled coffee (87 per cent) had better endothelial function than those who consumed other types of coffee.
Medical staff used health checks and questionnaires to get more detail on the participants’ medical health, lifestyles and coffee drinking, in addition to testing their endothelial function.

Even in those with high blood pressure, boiled Greek coffee consumption was associated with improved endothelial function, without worrying impacts on blood pressure.

Dr Siasos said: 'Further studies are needed to document the exact beneficial mechanisms of coffee on cardiovascular health.'

Greek coffee is boiled in a special pot and served foamy at the top with grounds at the bottom of the cup.