Coffee drinkers tend to live longer than those who abstain from the caffeinated beverage, and new research from Stanford may help explain why and how it reduces chronic inflammation and cardiovascular disease.

The research, which included more than 100 participants, has revealed a connection between aging, systemic inflammation, cardiovascular disease and coffee consumption.

Prior research shows that inflammation can cause many cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and even depression.

The investigators examined blood samples, survey data and medical and family histories from participants and published their work Jan. 16 in Nature Medicine.

They found that a fundamental inflammatory mechanism associated with aging that can cause cardiovascular disease could be countered by nucleic-acid metabolites in coffee.

“More than 90 percent of all noncommunicable diseases of aging are associated with chronic inflammation,” said David Furman, PhD, the study’s lead author and a consulting associate professor at the Stanford Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, in a statement. “It’s also well-known that caffeine intake is associated with longevity. Many studies have shown this association. We’ve found a possible reason for why this may be so.”