As members of the nocturnal Rossi Posse, we tend to live on coffee.

Now comes word that it will make us live longer, if the hours don’t kill us first.

I’m skeptical. I drink at least 2 cups a day. I do spike it with a couple of Splendas and some cream; and before I get here at night, I’m good for a turbo shot as well.

Does that improve my chances of longevity?

And if I were to live longer due to my coffee consumption, what kind of quality of life would I have?

Perhaps I’m getting a little too ahead of myself here, but recent research suggests that daily consumption can improve your chances of a longer life.

Do you buy the research, and how much of it do you consume?
To quote this report:

Coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or decaf doesn't matter.
The study of 400,000 people is the largest ever done on the issue.

Possible because coffee contains a thousand things that can affect health, from helpful antioxidants to tiny amounts of substances linked to cancer.

The most widely studied ingredient — caffeine — didn't play a role in the new study's results.
However, there is evidence that coffee can raise LDL, or bad cholesterol, and blood pressure at least short-term, and those in turn can raise the risk of heart disease.

Even in the new study, it first seemed that coffee drinkers were more likely to die at any given time. But they also tended to smoke, drink more alcohol, eat more red meat and exercise less than non-coffee-drinkers.

The study was done by the National Institutes of Health and AARP. The results are published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

However here’s what the report suggests you watch for:

— Watch the sugar and cream. Extra calories and fat could negate any benefits from coffee.
— Drink filtered coffee rather than boiled — filtering removes compounds that raise LDL, the bad cholesterol.

If man lived by coffee alone, perhaps we’d all live to a ripe old age.

Although I can hear my mom screaming now….why would I want to live that long anyway?

Kavorkianesque….no?

But hey, drink up anyway…the nights are dark and the road is long.

Posse Poll:

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM