Millennials Actually Aren't Spending Enough At Starbucks

People are raving about the news: Coffee — our lifeblood, elixir, motivation for making it through Monday morning — is actually really good for us. In fact, it can help reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes and generally increase longevity.

From personal experience, we can say that attempts to wean from the stuff are onerous and painful; this seems like fantastic news for our consumptive caffeine habit. But according to new research published by the European Society of Cardiology, we'd have to drink a lot of the stuff for it to make a difference — unless we're pushing 50 or older.

Study participants who drank the most coffee (four cups or more each day) were 64 percent less likely to die than participants who didn't drink any. This was the bracket that displayed the most significant health benefit — across the board, the results indicated that the more coffee you drink, the better.

Unfortunately, though, the effects of just two cups of coffee or less were much more minimal — unless you're over 45.

Once participants crossed the threshold over the hill and into the older age bracket, they reaped the benefit of longevity even at the lower dosage. For those dreading old age, this is an all-too-welcome perk. It seems the rest of us, though, must wait until our old age to truly excuse our caffeinated vice.

Just make sure you're sweetening your cup the healthy way. No one said anything about the longevity power of cream and sugar.