Stanford University scientists published a study in Nature Nature Medicine this month that links the consumption of caffeine to the suppression of inflammatory processes associated with “cardiovascular disease and increased rates of mortality.”

“More than 90 percent of all noncommunicable diseases of aging are associated with chronic inflammation,” stated Professor David Furman, PhD., a consulting associate professor at the Stanford Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection and the study's lead author.

While previous research which links chronic inflammation to a variety of diseases is nothing new, the Stanford study made curious finds with its genetic effect on genetic effect on blood.

Does that mean the 80 percent of human beings worldwide who drink coffee every day are healthier? Is that latte from this morning the fountain of youth?

The paper’s co-author, Dr. Mark D Dr. Mark Davis, professor of microbiology and immunology certainly thinks there is potential.

While he noted the study did not prove a causal link, he did state, “What we’ve shown is a correlation between caffeine consumption and longevity. And we’ve shown more rigorously, in laboratory tests, a very plausible mechanism for why this might be so.”

Image courtesy of International Coffee Organization.