--- title: This Week in Health: Coffee Might Help You Live Longer description: Ever wonder how to live longer? This week's health news found that coffee is good for you, and people who drink it have better longevity. canonical: https://time.com/4854693/health-benefits-coffee-longevity/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-13T16:00:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:58:41.381Z article:section: Health og:title: This Week in Health: Coffee Might Help You Live Longer og:description: These are the week's biggest health stories og:url: https://time.com/4854693/health-benefits-coffee-longevity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2cd4b988b4b2711/6988d567196cf42142040fdd/coffee-mug.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: coffee mug og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Week in Health: Coffee Might Help You Live Longer twitter:description: These are the week's biggest health stories twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2cd4b988b4b2711/6988d567196cf42142040fdd/coffee-mug.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Week in Health: Coffee Might Help You Live Longer by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 13, 2017 4:00 PM UTC  Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 13, 2017 4:00 PM UTC Coffee lovers can sip peacefully. This week a new large study linked [drinking coffee with a longer life](http://time.com/4849985/coffee-caffeine-live-longer/), adding to the [already strong evidence](http://time.com/4768860/is-coffee-good-for-you/) that the brew comes with health perks. Here’s what else caught our attention this week. (Sign up for the [TIME Health newsletter](http://time.com/newsletter-health) for more.) ## [An FDA panel recommends approval for the first gene therapy treatment](http://time.com/4855591/gene-therapy-treatment-cancer-fda/) The therapy is aimed at blood cancers and offers new hope that the disease won’t just be treated, but cured. ## [You Asked: Am I gaining muscle weight or fat?](http://time.com/4853121/muscle-weight-fat/)  Bethan Mooney for TIME Even the most diligent eaters and exercisers can gain a few pounds after starting a new workout plan. The bad news: the extra weight you notice isn’t from muscle. The good news: it’s not from fat, either. Experts say those extra pounds are most likely from water. ## [Coffee drinkers really do live longer](http://time.com/4849985/coffee-caffeine-live-longer/)  Cup of coffee on a table of wood outdoors, illuminated by the light of the Sun. Valencia, Spain. Getty Images Researchers have found that drinking coffee—both decaf and regular—is linked to a longer life. Past studies have found that coffee drinkers have a [lower risk of diabetes](http://time.com/4133038/coffee-protect-type-2-diabetes/?iid=sr-link6), [fewer strokes and heart problems](http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/27/moderate-coffee-consumption-lowers-heart-failure-risk/?iid=sr-link2) and [lower rates of certain cancers](http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/22/study-drinking-coffee-may-lower-cancer-risk-in-women/?iid=sr-link5). ## [Your eyes might be full of bacteria. Here’s why that’s a good thing](http://time.com/4853062/eyes-bacteria-microbiome/) A new study suggests that the eyes have a microbiome: their very own collection of bacteria. The good bacteria may help protect the eyes from diseases. ## [You’re putting sunscreen on the wrong way](http://time.com/4850115/face-sunscreen-spf/)  Getty Images The face is the most common place for skin cancers, but people still miss important spots—about 10% of their entire face—when they apply sunscreen, according to a new study. ## [Health experts are worried about a huge rise in smoking in movies](http://time.com/4853103/smoking-in-movies-teens-cdc/) A sharp increase in showing tobacco use in films may negatively impact teen smoking rates, health officials say. ## [Eating a little bit healthier helps you live longer](http://time.com/4855506/healthy-diet-live-longer/)  Photographs by Danny Kim for TIME You don’t have to make over your entire diet in order to live longer. Adding healthy foods to your diet—in any amount—may make a difference in how long you live, according to the latest research. ## [It’s not just chocolate powder. You shouldn’t be snorting anything, doctors say](http://time.com/4851507/snorting-chocolate-powder-drugs/) Here are the dangers of snorting any type of powder—including Coco Loko, a new powder containing chocolate and ingredients found in energy drinks. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4854693/health-benefits-coffee-longevity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4854693/health-benefits-coffee-longevity/"},"headline":"This Week in Health: Coffee Might Help You Live Longer","datePublished":"2017-07-13T16:00:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:58:41.381Z","description":"Ever wonder how to live longer? 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