SENIORS' HEALTH Wine, coffee extend life span, study says

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
SAN FRANCISCO -- If you live for fine wine and rich coffee, you may live a long time.
Looking at the dietary habits of some southern California seniors, researchers reported Wednesday that those who drank a glass or more of wine a day and at least a cup of caffeinated coffee were more likely to reach their 90s than those who did not imbibe.
Of course, what else would you expect to find when studying longevity among 13,000 past and present residents of a place called Leisure World, a retirement community with tennis courts, golf courses and cooking classes?
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Beginning with an average age of about 74, the seniors were followed for about 13 years after completing surveys about their eating and drinking habits.
Results
"We basically found who was alive and who had died," said lead author Maria Corrada, an assistant professor in the department of neurology at the University of California, Irvine.
In assessing survival among the Leisure World residents, alcohol consumption was associated with longer life, and those who drink a glass of wine a day had the best odds, about 12 percent less chance of dying during the study than those who did not drink at all.
Those who drank at least a cup of coffee a day had a 10 percent less chance of dying.
Those who combined coffee and wine drinking did not have any better odds of surviving than those who drank just one of the beverages.
In other studies, moderate wine and alcohol consumption consistently has been linked to lower rates of heart disease.