Greek coffee – the secret to a long life?

Only 0.1% of Europeans are experiencing the 90-year milestone. However, there are exceptions to the rule, one of which is the Greek island of Ikaria, where this figure is one of the highest in the world and reaches 1%. Moreover, the long-livers of Icaria are distinguished by good health, which could not fail to attract the attention of researchers engaged in the search for the secrets of longevity.

Researchers of the Medical School of the University of Athens, working under the guidance of Dr. Gerasimos Siasos, decided to find out whether the use of coffee by elderly residents of Ikaria affects the functional state of their endothelium. The endothelium is a layer of cells lining the inner surface of blood vessels, the condition of which, as a rule, worsens with aging, as well as under the influence of lifestyle features, such as smoking.

The authors chose coffee as the subject of the study, as there is evidence that its moderate use can slightly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and have a positive effect on some aspects of the endothelial condition.

As part of the study, 71 men and 71 women were randomly selected from 673 Icarians over the age of 65 who had lived on the island throughout their lives. To obtain detailed information about the health status of these people, they were subjected to a medical examination, in addition to assessing the functions of the endothelium, which included changes in blood pressure, detection of diabetes symptoms, etc. Participants were also asked to fill out questionnaires containing questions about well-being, lifestyle and coffee consumption.

The authors analyzed the impact of all coffee drinking options, but it turned out that more than 87% of participants consumed so-called "Greek coffee" brewed in a certain way every day. More importantly, for lovers of such coffee, rich in polyphenols and antioxidants and containing a moderate amount of caffeine, the functional state of the vascular endothelium was characterized by a better functional state than for lovers of other methods of preparing the drink. Even in participants with high blood pressure, Greek coffee consumption was associated with better indicators of endothelial functions and the absence of adverse effects on the main symptom.

Considering the popularity of coffee all over the world and the fact that even a small positive effect of one of the types of this drink on health can make a significant contribution to the health of the population as a whole is a very interesting observation. However, further research is needed to find out the exact mechanisms of coffee's influence on the state of the cardiovascular system.

Article by Gerasimos Siasos et al. Consumption of a boiled Greek type of coffee is associated with improved endothelial function: The Ikaria Study is published in the journal Vascular Medicine.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily:
Does Greek Coffee Hold the Key to a Longer Life?21.03.2013