Hooray: long live the coffee drinker

How many cups of coffee I gulp down per day, Lil wanted to know. I quickly calculated it on one hand, or maybe two. Definitely five, sometimes even six. “Waaaaaaat, so much?” I think I was gaping at her like a surprised, coffee-drinking oempaloempaatje, because I was actually always content with my coffee habits.

When Hannelore potjandosie-what-a-good-voice told Edwin Evers yesterday morning that coffee drinkers live longer, I pretty much went through the roof of my car on the A2. I planned to call The Hague and introduce a national holiday. This was miraculously good news. It's just that the political leaders are all on vacation for a long time, otherwise I would have done it. Rutte, be warned, if you see me storming in at one of your informal formation dinners, I come in the name of coffee.

You should know that I love drinking coffee, but also coffee drinkers. Maybe it's because I feel a connection, but just like coffee, the coffee drinker has character. I think. I get extra enthusiastic about the milk-free consumers. Tea is okay, don't get me wrong. But coffee is more my cup of, ha-ha. I also find men who drink coffee more attractive. I just did a very representative survey here in the editorial office and five out of six women agree with me. The sixth (oooh, hi Lil) was just a bit slow to respond.

But let's go back from the men to the coffee research. If you think now: certainly another random sample... Nope, because this is GRAND. In Europe, half a million adults underwent the study. America scrutinized 185 thousand compatriots. Together, this resulted in the revealing fact that coffee drinkers live longer. And you can't just have one lousy cup from The Hague per day, but three cups of the black stuff. It was a calculation of the number of participants who died (sorry, I can't make it more cheerful), the type of condition, and the amount of coffee they consumed. The coffee-drinking type is at lower risk for heart and vascular diseases or problems with the stomach, intestines, and liver. And a cup of coffee even seems to have a positive effect in the case of diabetes, certain types of cancer, and kidney diseases.

I say: go forth and drink gallons of coffee. Or well, three cups then. Because I'm waiting for research that shows that too much is really not good for you.