Boiled Greek coffee may hold secrets of longevity

Greek coffee may help you live longerLong life and good health may be linked to a great cup of boiled Greek coffee.

In a Greek study, published in the journal Vascular Medicine, scientists looked at the aging inhabitants of Ikaria, a Greek island that boasts the highest rates of longevity in the world.

What researchers discovered is that cup of boiled Greek coffee holds the clue to good health. In Europe, 0.1 per cent live to be over 90. On Ikaria, the figure is 1 per cent – ten times the rate of Europeans.

It’s also important to note that the islanders live their longer lives in good health.

A team led by Gerasimos Siasos, a medical doctor who teaches at the University of Athens Medical School,  examined the elderly population’s coffee drinking habits to see if they had an effect on their health. Specifically, they looked at links between coffee-drinking habits and the research subjects’ endothelial health. The endothelium is a layer of cells that lines blood vessels, which can be affected by aging and lifestyle habits, such as smoking. Siasos and his team  targeted coffee because some studies suggest that moderate coffee consumption may slightly inhibit the risk of coronary heart disease. It may also positively impact endothelial health.

So why boiled Greek coffee over any other type? Boiled Greek coffee is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants. Caffeine in the beverage is also moderate. These factors appear to impact positively endothelial health.

Learn more at UPI.com and The Examiner.