Overview

• Long-term cohort data link moderate caffeinated coffee consumption to reduced mortality risk and improved markers of healthy aging.
• Experiments published in Microbial Cell demonstrate that caffeine directly activates AMPK, a conserved cellular energy sensor that governs growth, DNA repair, and stress resilience.
• Questions persist over whether caffeine’s impact on cell growth involves direct or indirect inhibition of TORC1 and the roles of regulators such as Ssp1, Ssp2, and Amk2.
• Since AMPK is also targeted by drugs like metformin and rapamycin, caffeine’s mechanism may inform development of next-generation longevity therapies.
• Ongoing work is focused on defining safe caffeine intake thresholds and isolating bioactive compounds in coffee to translate these findings into practical dietary and drug-based strategies.