A fresh study has discovered that certain people may be able to slow down their biological ageing by consuming a maximum of four cups of coffeedaily. The research, published in the BMJ Mental Health journal, found that people with severe mental illness who consumed this amount could gain an extra five biological years compared to those who don't drink coffee.

However, those who drank more than five cups of coffeeeach day didn't reap these benefits. The scientists attributed this effect to the potent antioxidants in coffee, observing that it extended the telomeres located at the end of chromosomes.

According to News Medical, these telomeres function similarly to the plastic tips on shoelaces. Coffee has already been shown to reduce oxidative stressin the general population, which can slow down biological ageing processes like telomere shortening.

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Telomeres naturally shorten as part of the ageing process, but individuals with major psychiatric disorders such as psychosis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder often experience an accelerated shortening process.

This new study assessed the effects of coffee consumption on telomere length in people with these mental illnesses. The researchers discovered that drinking up to four cups a day was associated with longer telomeres equivalent to a biological age five years younger than non-coffee drinkers.

As this was an observational study, definitive conclusions about cause and effect cannot be established, but researchers pointed to coffee's well-documented health benefits as a likely explanation.

The researchers stated: "Telomeres are highly sensitive to both oxidative stress and inflammation, further highlighting how coffee intake could help preserve cellular in a population whose pathophysiology may be predisposing them to an accelerated rate."

The investigation tracked 436 adult participants, with 259 diagnosed with schizophrenia and the remainder experiencing affective disorders such as major depressive disorder with psychosis and bipolar disorder.

Those with schizophrenia consumed considerably more coffee than people with other affective conditions. Furthermore, researchers discovered that participants drinking five or more cups daily were notably older than those having only one or two cups.

Whilst coffee offers numerous health benefits, exceeding the recommended daily intake can cause cellular harm and potentially lead to telomere shortening, researchers cautioned.

Global health bodies typically advise restricting caffeine consumption to a maximum of 400mg daily. This equates to roughly four cups of coffee.

The research had certain constraints, as it failed to document additional caffeine sources participants might have consumed throughout the day, nor the variety of coffee they drank or when they consumed it.