What I am doing to delay ageing (part II): drinking coffee
Your morning coffee keeps you alive as well as awake
In my last post in this series, I introduced the phenomenon of autophagy. This process plays a crucial role in longevity, and inhibition of this recycling of cellular debris likely accelerates ageing, as well as being one of its consequences. Enhancing autophagy in mice can boost lifespan by up to 17%. As such, autophagy is a recurring theme in the nascent anti-ageing research.
Analogous to AMPK activation, both exercise and caloric restriction appear to be effective at inducing autophagy. Indeed, as the longevity effects of AMPK signalling function via inducing autophagy and mitophagy, any of my recommendations in my previous post on AMPK will work in stimulating autophagy too. Conversely, anything which inhibits AMPK activation will also inhibit autophagy, therefore we should minimise consumption of foods that have this effect.
Acrylamide is a chemical that is formed when carbohydrates are exposed to very high temperatures, and is known to impair autophagy. This implies that we should reduce our intake of fried carbohydrates, such as french fries or crisps (potato chips), and in general our consumption of fast food. Of course, this is the most basic common sense health advice anyhow, so I assume that everyone is working to do so (at varying levels of success).
Regular coffee consumption is known to be protective against inflammation of the liver and its associated diseases, even amongst heavy drinkers and the clinically overweight. This is because caffeine is a potent stimulator of autophagy. In laboratory studies of model organisms, caffeine has been demonstrated to be pro-longevity. Another compound plentiful in coffee (both caffeinated and decaffeinated) is chlorogenic acid; another known activator of autophagy as well as a powerful antioxidant in itself [1]. Caffeine is also associated with numerous other positive health outcomes:
“To evaluate the associations between coffee and caffeine consumption and various health outcomes, we performed an umbrella review of the evidence from meta-analyses of observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Of the 59 unique outcomes examined in the selected 112 meta-analyses of observational studies, coffee was associated with a probable decreased risk of breast, colorectal, colon, endometrial, and prostate cancers; cardiovascular disease and mortality; Parkinson's disease; and type-2 diabetes.”
However, regular coffee drinkers are known to be heavier smokers and drinkers. Much of the literature on the health implications of coffee consumption are confounded with these variables. Adjust for that, and the benefits become apparent. This may account for the wide discrepancy between the recommendations on coffee consumption.
Naturally, this leads to another of my recommendations. Drink at least a cup of coffee a day. From adolescence onwards, I have always started my daily life with at least two cups. Preferably, you want to drink it black, to maximise your consumption of antioxidants, yet if that's too bitter for your liking, then almond or oat milk is preferable to dairy. Ultimately, any coffee consumption is better than none (unless you are one of those individuals for whom medical advice recommends abstention, in which case I’m in no position to overrule that). Your morning coffee keeps you alive as well as awake!
Dairy milk proteins bind with chlorogenic acid however, impairing their bioavailability. If possible, have your coffee black. If not, consume a non-dairy alternative (such as oat or almond milk) without the binding proteins.
Thoughtful connection between autophagy induction and practical interventions. Your observation that caffeine functions as a proxy for caloric restriction's autophagy benefits without requiring the metabolic stress is understated but valuable. What's interesting is the dose-response curve for chlorogenic acid, since binding with dairy proteins creates a bioavailability floor that probably matters more at lower consumption levels. The acrylamide note is solid too, most people don't realize that inhibiting autophagy isn't just about missing upside but activelycountering other longevity signals. Coffee as a daily longevity stack is elegantly simple given the compounding effect over decades.