The key to longevity can be simpler than scientists thought - it's probably just a cup of "right" coffee in the morning.

Studies have shown that Greek coffee can improve the state of the cardiovascular system and increase life expectancy.

The results of an interesting scientific work were published in the publication "Vascular Medicine".

Observation was conducted on the Greek island of Ikaria, whose inhabitants can boast of the greatest lifespan on the planet.

Scientists sought to unravel the secret of such longevity of islanders. According to statistics, about 0.1% of Europeans live longer than 90 years. But on the island of Ikaria this figure is ten times more - over 1%.

Dr. Gerasimos Siasos, a professor at the Medical School of the University of Athens, tried, together with his colleagues, to study the influence of Greek coffee on the health of local residents.

Let's start from the very beginning. The inner surface of our blood vessels is lined with a special cellular layer - the endothelium. His condition is affected by many factors, including aging, lifestyle and diet. Researchers focused on coffee because of the fact that early work has already proved that this drink in moderate amounts reduces the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). They suggested that coffee has a beneficial effect on the state of the endothelium of the arteries.

Coffee is generally good for health for many reasons. Recall that back in 2009, Western magazines wrote that high doses of tea and coffee, including decaffeinated coffee, are associated with a lower risk of diabetes mellitus.

The researchers collected a group of 142 volunteers from the island of Ikaria (71 men and 71 women), whose age exceeded 65 years. These volunteers have lived on the island all their lives. The scientists conducted the analysis using medical examination data and special questionnaires in which residents reported on their lifestyle, drinking coffee, medical problems, etc..

All kinds of coffee that participants used were studied. Not surprisingly, more than 87% of volunteers drank Greek coffee daily, popular in these places. Participants who preferred it, had better indices of vascular endothelial function than fans of other types of coffee.

Even in volunteers with hypertension, Greek coffee was associated with better endothelial function. Moderate reception of this drink, apparently, is not accompanied by negative consequences for the vessels.

Dr. Gerasimos Siasos concluded: "Greek coffee, which contains a moderate amount of caffeine and is especially rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, can have greater health benefits than other coffee drinks".

This study provided new evidence of the link between cardiovascular health and proper nutrition. Since coffee consumption is very popular, even a small influence of one of the types of this drink can be of great importance for public health in the whole world.

medbe. en.