Drinking coffee and alcohol in moderation contributes to health and longevity

Scientists recently looked at the eating habits of older people in southern california and reported that those who drank one or more glasses of wine and at least one caffeinated coffee a day were more likely to live healthily to age 90 than those who did not.

The survey was conducted among 13,000 older people who lived or still live in a retirement community called Leisure World, so it was more convincing. The findings, presented today at the annual meeting of the american academy of neurology, come after 13 years of a comprehensive and systematic study of the eating habits of the study participants, who began at an average age of 74.

During a survival assessment of older members of the Leisure World, alcohol intake was found to be strongly associated with longevity, with those who drank one drink a day having the highest odds of living longer and about 12 percent less morbidity and mortality than those who did not drink at all. Those who drank at least one cup of coffee a day had a 10 percent lower mortality rate.