Consuming fruit and a cup of coffee a day can halve risk of unhealthy cell ageing, study suggests

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/11/consuming-fruit-coffee-halve-risk-unhealthy-cell-ageing

162 points · 62 comments · view on lemmy.world

62 Comments

4grams@awful.systems · 54 pts · 99d (3 replies)

It’s good, it’s bad, it’s good, it’s bad, it’s…

Fuck it, life is better with coffee, and fruit.

LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz · 14 pts · 98d (1 reply)

Nothing is 100% good or 100% bad. Even oxygen has problems that are caused in the body.

Coffee, like many things, can cause some health issues, but also some health benefits.

The problem is that the headlines only talk about this specific effect studied. When you get down the details, it's a lot less clear cut then "drink coffee = live longer" or "drink coffee = die younger"

victorz@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 98d

This is why I hate science reporting in the media.

demonsword@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 98d

life is better with coffee

enjoy while you can, because climate change is ruining this too

godsammitdam@lemmy.zip · 30 pts · 99d (4 replies)

10 bucks says the studies were paid for by coffee and fruit industries.

wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 99d (2 replies)

Yeah I came here to say 'study sponsored by Starbucks'

Tiral@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 99d (1 reply)

Which I'd bet 90% of the drinks they sell to people are less than a splash of coffee with 15 pumps of caramel and milk. It's like a splash of coffee for color like coke in a Long Island Iced tea.

swab148@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 0 pts · 99d

I always just used dark rum for that, back when I did the drinkin'

Chaotic_Altruist@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 98d

They were funded by one and found success in another.

They would have made sense if one worked and they were funded by the same industry

Would have made sense if they simply found success in their results and published them

They said that it works when combining coffee and fruit. Which one paid for it? Both would have told the other industry to pay for the study. It's definitely only coffee or "fruit".

One was actually meaningful. Guessing fruit was actually beneficial and coffee paid the bill but it's definitely a red flag to include both in the finding. Either coffee is good and fruit is meaningless, or the other way around.

Tbh, "fruit" is such a large category that there's no way they studied every fruit. They "studied coffee" and added "fruit" so they could post a benefit. I love coffee but this study is bullshit.

Astronut@lemmy.zip · 17 pts · 99d (5 replies)

I drink coffee and eat fruit every morning. I’ll let yall know if I die early on account of it!

nightofmichelinstars@sopuli.xyz · 11 pts · 99d (3 replies)

Halve, not have

Astronut@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 99d

Must be the coffee and fruit shutting my brain down already. I didn’t even catch that. Now I gotta live longer accidentally doing the right thing!

baronvonj@piefed.social · 3 pts · 99d (1 reply)

Danquebec@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 98d

The funny thing is that in French, those 2 words are spelled and said exactly the same way.

TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 98d

gotta add 2 shots of whiskey and 3 cigs to complete that breakfast.

TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 98d (27 replies)

it blows my mind how many people don't eat any fruit or veg at all.

victorz@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 98d (26 replies)

Veg, yes, but what does fruit really give you except fiber and glucose?

SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 98d (12 replies)
  • antioxidants
  • vitamins
  • minerals
  • enzymes
DisasterTransport@startrek.website · 14 pts · 98d (2 replies)

Alright but apart from the sugar and the fiber and the antioxidants and the vitamins and the minerals and the enzymes, what has fruit ever done for us?

SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 18 pts · 98d
  • sexual aid
  • booze
  • theatre criticism
Mrkawfee@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 97d

Peace?

victorz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 98d (8 replies)

More than what's in meat and vegetables? 🤔

It's there any fruit with more vitamins and such things than you can find in a corresponding vegetable or meat?

SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 98d (7 replies)

Complex answers there due to bioavailability, combinations, and palatability. Cow liver has lots of vitamin A but it is liver. Carrots have a lot of A if you eat good fats with them. Sea Buckthorn has more than you need but you also get v.C and lots of other nutrients and it's a candy.

Also as primates we are built for fruit.

victorz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 98d (6 replies)

Complex indeed.

Could you explain a bit more about what being "built for fruit" means? Built more for fruit than other things or just built to "handle" it?

SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 98d (5 replies)

Well it’s just a major part of many primate species’ diets, including hominids. Your mileage may vary depending on gut flora etc but humans eat a lot of fruits in general.

victorz@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 98d

Just because we do as humans doesn't mean it's the most nutritious. Look at the diet of koalas for example.

DupaCycki@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 98d

Yummy

TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 98d (3 replies)

vitamins

victorz@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 98d (2 replies)

If I eat 1 egg a day I get a substantial part of my daily intake of every vitamin except C, which I can then find rich in vegetables instead. Veggies have more vitamins than fruit, usually, as far as I understand. E.g. vitamin C, much higher content in broccoli than, say, an orange.

Shayeta@feddit.org · 0 pts · 98d (1 reply)

Similar thing with vitamin A. Everyone keeps yapping about carrots and veggies, when the best source of it is animal liver. Some animals like polar bears have so much vitamin A in their liver that you can easily overdose on it and die. It's not even close.

victorz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 98d

Yep. We don't really need fruit.

Vandalismo@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 97d (7 replies)

Fiber is already more than enough reason to eat fruit, why are you searching for more?

victorz@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 97d (6 replies)

Fiber isn't something the body can break down, so what are you getting from it?

Vandalismo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 95d (5 replies)

That's exactly what makes it good for you, it's not totally digested

victorz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 95d (4 replies)

What you're getting is [the fact] that it's not digested?

Vandalismo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 94d (3 replies)

Not by chewing nor acid stomach, but by gut bacteria, and if you meant "if" instead of "is"... Well, mainly slowing down the digestion which makes you absorb more of nutrients, regulates sugar in the blood and more 1001 stuff

victorz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 94d

And can you not get that from vegetables instead?

baller_w@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 98d (1 reply)

Based on my fruit and coffintake, I’m living forever. Ignore the alcohol.

modus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 97d

I don't know if that's a typo or not. But I like it.

xep@discuss.online · 9 pts · 99d (3 replies)

Can anyone find the study?

FoxyFerengi@startrek.website · 17 pts · 99d (1 reply)

As far as I can tell it's not yet published. Why on earth would this be reported if it hasn't made it through the publishing process? Lol

Here is a reaction to the findings that were presented at the conference mentioned in the op article.

TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 98d

because it makes for good click bait

ragica@lemmy.ml · 17 pts · 99d

It seems this story is based on an unpublished paper abstract presented at European Congress on Obesity 2026 titled "Higher Dietary Polyphenol Intake Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Short Telomeres: Evidence from the SUN Cohort Study".

You can see it in the conference program.

https://eco2026.org/assets/docs/programme-book.pdf

And here is another reference.

https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-a-european-congress-on-obesity-unpublished-conference-abstract-on-association-between-higher-dietary-polyphenol-intake-and-lower-risk-of-short-telomeres/

garretble@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 98d (3 replies)

Too bad coffee tastes like trash to this guy.

Guess I'll die.

I do often eat some fruit, though.

victorz@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 98d

I'd rather take years off my life than having to suffer every day by drinking coffee.

Gonzako@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 98d

Yep, you'll die if you're not addicted to caffeine

SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 98d

You could probably sub in chocolate for a similar benefit.

dipcart@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 98d (1 reply)

What about a strawberry flavored monster??? Is that the same or...?

partofthevoice@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 98d

What about 2-3 STOK Cappuccino 48oz bottles a day, and a Bang to help me calm down after?

ignoble_stigmas@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 98d (2 replies)

How about substituting fruit with a cigarette?

Blackmist@feddit.uk · 7 pts · 98d (1 reply)

I think that's called a Continental Breakfast.

TobJEnd@feddit.org · 2 pts · 97d

Don't mind if I do

Key and Peele - continental breakfast

LustLive@fedinsfw.app · 1 pts · 99d (3 replies)

But I drink black tea, n bunch of fruits.

Is green tea any good??

SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 98d

Pu Erh is probably the healthiest stimulant hot drink available. Green teas are a close second.

goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org · 2 pts · 99d
[ removed ]
TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 98d

tea is fine.

vga@sopuli.xyz · -1 pts · 98d

Aah fruit. My favourite fruit.