Following on from previous reports of the benefits of coffee, there has been more evidence to suggest that moderate amounts of coffee per day may help increase longevity. Gone are the rumours that coffee is the dehydrating, nerve-wracking substance to be avoided at all costs, and they are now replaced with the idea that coffee wards off heart disease, stroke and prolongs our life.

2 to 5 cups coffee
So why the u-turn? Well scientists have been looking into the benefits of coffee for some time and a latest study found that both men and women benefited from decreased risk of cardiovascular disease after drinking between 2 and 5 cups per day.

Can protect the heart
The research trial, started in the 1980s by Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia of the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain, studied the habits of 41,736 male health professionals and 86,214 female nurses. It was found that women who drank between 2 and 3 cups of coffee per day were a quarter to a third less likely to die of heart disease. Men, it was found, needed to drink between 4 and 5 cups per day to achieve the same "protection".

Coffee maybe antioxidant
It is thought that the antioxidant and magnesium content of coffee balances out its negative attributes, such as causing rises in blood pressure and weakening of the nervous system. However, the researchers agree that there may be some other factor involved in prolonging the lives of coffee drinkers that was not tested in the study. Lopez-Garcia believes there's scope for a lot more investigation: "The possibility of a modest benefit of coffee consumption on cardiovascular disease mortality needs to be further investigated."