Drinking Coffee May Add 2 Years to Your Life – Eating Well
Credit: Getty Images. EatingWell design.Drink Up, Coffee Lovers—A Study Suggests Coffee Could Add Years to Your Life
Find out how much coffee seems to have the most benefit.
By Carrie Myers, M.S., Published on January 19, 2026, Reviewed by Dietitian, Sarah Pflugradt, Ph.D., RDN, CSCS
In This Article
Credit: Getty Images. EatingWell design.- Research has indicated that drinking coffee may increase health span by two years.
- Coffee contains antioxidants that may help protect against chronic conditions.
- Stick with 2-3 cups/day of coffee and limit added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Coffee sure has made the rounds regarding its health status. Many years ago, it was thought to be a noxious habit.1 More recently, however, evidence is mounting toward its beneficial effects on health. If you’re a coffee drinker, you know one benefit is that it gets things moving in the morning (buh-bye constipation!). But that’s just the tip of the coffee bean.
Drinking coffee has also been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and it may help your thyroid work better. You’ve probably also noticed that a cup of joe can make you feel happier and more energetic.
But what about longevity? Could that coffee habit help you live longer? Researchers in Portugal wanted to know, too, so they did a large review of existing studies to see what research to date has shown; here’s what they found.1
What Do We Know About Coffee and Health?
These researchers combed through studies and meta-analyses that had previously been published and compiled them into this one review. This was a very involved and thorough review—the researchers analyzed data from more than 50 studies done in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
First, they discussed the aging process and how various bodily systems tend to deteriorate as we age, including how this affects the way we interact within our environment. For example, eyesight and hearing tend to be reduced as we age, which can influence how quickly we age if they’re not tended to.
They went on to discuss how coffee contains over 2,000 potentially bioactive substances, many of which act like antioxidants. Of course, coffee also contains caffeine.
Researchers then went on to investigate what studies suggest coffee’s influence is on life span, as well as diseases, conditions and health habits that affect life span—like heart disease, cancer, stroke and respiratory diseases. They also looked at coffee’s impact on cognition, depression and sleep. Then to go even further, they examined evidence of coffee’s impact on the body at the cellular level.
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What Did This Review Find?
Ultimately there was one overarching finding. Regular coffee consumption seems to increase not just life span, but also health span (quality of life), by decreasing the incidence of the primary age-associated diseases that contribute to early death.
They concluded that regularly drinking coffee was associated with preserving muscular, cardiovascular, mental and immune system functions. And it reduces the risk of diseases that commonly affect the elderly, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, dementia, major depression and frailty.
Regularly drinking coffee may even help you better adapt to stressful situations. And when you can gracefully handle stress—and nix some of your stressors—you reduce your disease risk and may live longer.
Bringing all the evidence together, regular coffee drinkers may enjoy an extra two years of life. And it’s not just more years, but years with good health. Because really, what good is a longer life if you don’t also have a good quality of life?
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