20,000 People and10 Yrs Suggests Heavy Coffee Drinkers Live Longer

Feel free to pour that second, third, or even fourth cup of coffee this morning.

Higher consumption of coffee is connected to a lower risk of death, says a study presented by Spanish researchers during the European Society of Cardiology Congress held in Barcelona.

The study, conducted by Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, featured nearly 20,000 participants and followed up with them for an average of 10 years. 

The study found participants who drank at least four cups of coffee a day had a 64% lower risk of death than those who never or almost never drank coffee.

The research also found for participants who were 45 or older, drinking two additional cups of coffee was linked to a 30% lower risk of death.

"Our findings suggest that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people," said Dr. Adela Navarro, a cardiologist at Hospital de Navarra, in a statement.

The findings back up a pair of studies published earlier this year touting the benefits of drinking coffee. One of the studies found coffee was linked to a lower risk of death due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.