Coffee is among the most commonly consumed beverages worldwide. Because of its popularity, it has attracted a great deal of research over the years.
Scientists have now stacked up a fair amount of evidence proving that coffee can protect against certain diseases and may even extend lifespan. Studies have shown that moderate coffee consumption might protect against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease, to name but three.
But the findings to date leave some unanswered questions. For instance, certain people have genetic variations that alter the way in which they metabolize caffeine. How are they affected? Similarly, does the type of coffee — ground, instant, or decaffeinated — make a difference?
Recently, researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Rockville and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, set out to get some answers. Their study shows that individuals who process caffeine differently and those who drink decaffeinated coffee also saw benefits. These findings may hint that caffeine is not the main player in this beneficial relationship. Coffee consists of hundreds of different chemicals making this a tricky code to crack. One group of chemicals that scientists have been interested in is polyphenols, but much more work will be needed to understand how they fit into the bigger picture.