Study Reveals That Middle-Aged Women Who Drink Caffeinated Coffee May Experience Healthier Aging

A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard Chan Public Health indicates that caffeine and regular coffee consumption during middle age are modestly and positively linked to various aspects of healthy aging in women. However, no notable correlation was found with tea or caffeinated coffee, whereas increased cola intake was associated with healthy aging and a lower likelihood of related health issues.



Mahdavi et al. Our aim was to explore the relationship between caffeine intake in middle age and the chances of healthy aging in older women participating in nurse health studies. Image credit: Sci.News.

“While earlier studies have linked coffee to specific health outcomes, this research is the first to evaluate coffee’s impact on multiple aspects of aging over three decades,” stated Dr. Sarah Mahadhabi, a researcher at Harvard Chan School of Public Health and the University of Toronto.

“The findings indicate that coffee may uniquely support aging processes that foster both mental and physical well-being.”

“Our study boasts several significant strengths, including a substantial sample size and three decades of follow-up. Moreover, we assessed various elements of longevity and healthy aging, in conjunction with comprehensive data on nutrition and lifestyle habits collected every four years after the study began.”

The research encompassed 47,513 women from the Nurses Health Survey, utilizing dietary and health data gathered since 1984.

Researchers evaluated caffeine consumption using a validated food frequency questionnaire, focusing on major caffeine sources like coffee, tea, cola, and caffeinated coffee.

Healthy aging was characterized as living to age 70 and above, free from 11 major chronic diseases, preserving physical abilities, maintaining mental health, exhibiting no cognitive impairment, and having no memory complaints.

Following 30 years of monitoring, researchers assessed how the probability of healthy aging varied with each additional 80 mg of caffeine consumed daily by the participants.

They also examined specific beverage types, including coffee, tea, caffeinated coffee (per 8-ounce cup), and cola (per 12-ounce glass).

The preliminary analyses identified other factors that might influence healthy aging, such as body weight, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, physical activity levels, educational attainment, and protein intake.

By 2016, 3,706 women in the study met all criteria for being classified as healthy agers.

Women aged between 45-60 typically consumed an average of 315 mg of caffeine daily, with over 80% of that derived from regular coffee consumption.

For those in the Healthy Agers Group, each additional cup of coffee per day was linked to a 2% to 5% increased likelihood of aging well, up to about 5 small cups per day, or approximately 2.5 standard cups by today’s measurements.

Researchers discovered no significant correlation between the consumption of decaffeinated coffee or tea and an elevated likelihood of healthy aging.

Importantly, for each additional glass of soda with caffeine, the chances of healthy aging decreased by 20-26%, indicating that not all caffeine sources are beneficial.

“While these findings are preliminary, they suggest that small, consistent habits can profoundly influence long-term health,” Dr. Mahadhabi noted.

“Moderate coffee intake can provide a range of protective benefits when coupled with other healthy practices, such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking.”

“This study expands on previous evidence linking coffee consumption to healthy aging, but the benefits of coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of an overall healthy lifestyle, warranting further investigation.”

The findings were presented at the Survey results on June 2nd during the Nutrition 2025 annual meeting hosted by the American Nutrition Association.

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Sarah Mahadabi et al. Caffeine intake and healthy aging in women. Nutrition 2025 Summary #P22-039-25

Source: www.sci.news

Astronauts are able to drink their own urine thanks to water-recycling space suits

Part of the urine collection system

Luka Bielski

Astronauts on spacewalks may soon be able to drink their own urine, thanks to a water filtration and recycling system that could be ready in time for NASA's upcoming manned missions to the moon.

Urine and sweat wastewater is already recycled on the International Space Station, but the bulky equipment required to do so doesn't fit in a space suit. NASA's current solution is the Maximum Absorbency Garment, which, despite its technical name, is essentially just an adult diaper for collecting urine and feces. At the end of the spacewalk, these diapers are sent to the ISS's waste system and eventually burned in Earth's atmosphere, a frustrating waste of resources.

Chris Mason A researcher from Cornell University in New York says that current solutions are sufficient for spacewalks, which often last only a few hours, but that increased activity in space will require better solutions. He and his colleagues have developed a shoebox-sized, 8-kilogram device that can recycle urine collected through a unisex external catheter through a two-stage osmotic membrane filter with 87 percent efficiency.

The purified water is ready to drink and can be piped to a bag inside the spacesuit, which has the added benefit of providing a steady supply of drinking water. Current NASA spacesuits only provide a little less than a liter of drinking water, which is often not enough for long spacewalks. The remaining 13 percent of the water cannot be extracted and remains in the filter.

“I thought this had already been done, but it hasn't,” Mason said. “People who push the boundaries of humanity often trade discomfort for the opportunity to explore entirely new areas of science and medicine.”

The filtration technology is the same one already used on the ISS; however, unlike ISS wastewater, urine does not contain soap or chemicals, so it is easier to extract water from it, the team says. Extracting water from feces is not yet “fully solved,” but this is not as big a constraint, since astronauts often insist on just holding in their bowels during spacewalks, Mason says.

While many of NASA's current spacesuits have worked so far, change is needed because future astronauts will likely be more diverse in body shapes and sizes than their predecessors, he said. “The democratization of space brings new opportunities, but it also creates new challenges that we must address.”

Currently, the device is a prototype that is only being tested in a lab, but human trials involving collecting urine, recycling it, and drinking the water are expected to begin by November.

The researchers say the device could be incorporated into new versions of spacesuits planned for NASA's upcoming Artemis missions to the moon. NASA has contracted the private company Axiom Space to build the new suits, but the company declined to answer questions. New ScientistWhen asked how the spacecraft would deal with human waste, NASA declined to comment.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Research: Daily consumption of 100% orange juice reduces blood sugar levels compared to orange drink

A new study from Toronto Metropolitan University says 100% orange juice and sugar-sweetened beverages are not equivalent when it comes to their effects on food intake and blood sugar response, and should not be placed in the same category when making beverage decisions.



Consuming 100% orange juice before a meal reduces food intake at the next meal and lowers daily blood glucose concentrations in healthy, normal weight adults when compared to orange drink.

The World Health Organization suggests reducing free sugar intake to no more than 10% of daily energy intake to reduce the risk of unhealthy weight and tooth decay.

Consistent with these recommendations, some national dietary guidelines recommend reducing sugar intake from all sources.

However, these recommendations do not differentiate between sources of free sugars and are primarily based on data from observational studies, so the physiological mechanisms underlying the observed effects cannot be readily determined.

“Our findings highlight the importance of considering the source of sugar when considering overall health effects,” said Dr. Nick Bellissimo of Toronto Metropolitan University, senior author of the study. I am emphasizing that.”

The randomized, repeated measures study included 36 adult men and women with normal BMI levels who received 1 cup of 100% orange juice, orange flavored, 2 hours after a breakfast consisting of cereal, 2% milk, and 2% milk. Ingested sugar-sweetened beverages and water. Breakfast bar.

Blood sugar responses, average appetite, and subjective emotions were measured every 15 minutes for 60 minutes in 34 participants.

Glycemic responses and energy intake for the rest of the day were measured in 31 participants using continuous blood glucose monitors and food records.

Subjective sweetness and pleasantness were measured immediately after ingesting the test beverage.

Glycemic responses, average appetite, and subjective emotions were measured every 15 minutes for 60 minutes.

Food intake was measured 60 minutes after the pizza lunch.

Blood sugar levels were lower with 100% orange juice than with orange drink at 15, 30, and 45 minutes, but not after 60 minutes.

Blood sugar levels for the rest of the day were lower after drinking 100% orange juice compared to drinking orange or water.

The findings also showed that food intake at lunch and throughout the day was lower after consuming 100% orange juice compared to consuming orange drink.

Participants also had higher subjective comfort measures and enjoyed 100% orange juice more compared to orange beverages and water.

Using 100% orange juice instead of sugary drinks may reduce your total daily calorie intake and help regulate blood sugar levels.

100% orange juice contains flavonoids such as hesperidin, which can affect sugar absorption by slowing glucose transport, causing a delayed blood sugar response.

Consumption of 100% orange juice is associated with increased flavonoid intake, decreased added sugar, and higher quality diet.

The researchers said, “Consumption of 100% orange juice as a preload resulted in higher caloric compensation, lower total daily energy intake, and lower blood glucose concentrations compared to orange beverages.”

“Future longitudinal studies are needed to assess whether the habit of replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with 100% orange juice contributes to a healthier body weight and improved glycemic control.”

of paper It was published in the magazine nutrients.

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Stephanie Robayo other. 2024. Effects of her 100% orange juice and moderate sugar-sweetened beverages on subjective appetite, food intake, and glycemic responses in adults. nutrients 16 (2): 242; doi: 10.3390/nu16020242

Source: www.sci.news