A medical survey from America says that drinking three to five cups of coffee a day could help you live longer.
Scientists say it could reduce the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease, neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, and Type 2 diabetes. It also seems to lower the risk of suicide. They say.
This is the latest in a never ending body of research that appears to be striving to discover the secret of immortality without a brain or body transplant or having your soul welded to a computer.
I took a quick internet search to see what other foods and drinks are recommended to deny nature and allow mankind to remain Peter Pan for eternity.
First off, cut down on sugar and salt and drink lots of water and skimmed milk, which is, to be honest, a bit like water.
But let’s be positive. What can we eat that is genuinely good for us? Science and nutritionists recommend a daily dose of fish, and fruit and vegetables. An apple a day really works, they say, as well as avocados, bananas and cranberries. Blueberries are rich in polyphenols which can reduce the risk of death by 30%. Which is nice.
No one has yet discovered how many hours extra you might live from eating a bunch of bananas.
Eggs, garlic, kidney beans, walnuts, tofu, spinach, fennel and green tea are also beneficial, while the omega 3 in salmon reduces the ageing process.
Meat should be eaten no more than twice a week, and a daily glass of red wine also does you good, although there is no indication as to how big the glass should be. Whole grain and olive oil, as featured in the Mediterranean Diet, apparently increases the lifespan of the elderly by 20%.
Experts suggest that with the right food and drink you can stave off heart disease, stay slim, boost your immune system, reduce the risk of stroke and cancer and live longer.
Or you could move to Okinawa in Japan that has the oldest people in the world.. I’ve just worked out that if I adopt the healthy options that science and wishful thinking suggest that, even after a lifetime being a carnivore during which I must have consumed a whole herd of cows, I could bat on well past my century.
Who knows? May be a double century. Of course, without steak, roast beef, curries, beer, chips and everything else that makes life worth living, I might not find eternity.
But if I was stuck on an oily fish diet with skimmed milk it could certainly seem like it. Not that I don’t take reasonable precautions. I have to take a break now for my third coffee of the day with a Honey Crunch apple and a banana. And where did I put those blueberries?
