The study of 400,000 people is the largest ever done on the issue, and the results should reassure any coffee lovers who think it’s a guilty pleasure that may do harm.

“Our study suggests that’s really not the case,” said lead researcher Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute. “There may actually be a modest benefit of coffee drinking.”

No one knows why. Coffee contains a thousand things that can affect health, from helpful antioxidants to tiny amounts of substances linked to cancer. The most widely studied ingredient _ caffeine _ didn’t play a role in the new study’s results.

It’s not that earlier studies were wrong. There is evidence that coffee can raise LDL, or bad cholesterol, and blood pressure at least short-term, and those in turn can raise the risk of heart disease.

Even in the new study, it first seemed that coffee drinkers were more likely to die at any given time. But they also tended to smoke, drink more alcohol, eat more red meat and exercise less than non-coffee-drinkers. Once researchers took those things into account, a clear pattern emerged: Each cup of coffee per day nudged up the chances of living longer.

The study was done by the National Institutes of Health and AARP. The results are published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Careful, though–this doesn’t prove that coffee makes people live longer, only that the two seem related. Like most studies on diet and health, this one was based strictly on observing people’s habits and resulting health. So it can’t prove cause and effect.

But with so many people, more than a decade of follow-up and enough deaths to compare, “this is probably the best evidence we have” and are likely to get, said Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health. He had no role in this study but helped lead a previous one that also found coffee beneficial.

The new one began in 1995 and involved AARP members ages 50 to 71 in California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Atlanta and Detroit. People who already had heart disease, a stroke or cancer weren’t included. Neither were folks at diet extremes _ too many or too few calories per day.

The rest gave information on coffee drinking once, at the start of the study. “People are fairly consistent in their coffee drinking over their lifetime,” so the single measure shouldn’t be a big limitation, Freedman said.

Of the 402,260 participants, about 42,000 drank no coffee. About 15,000 drank six cups or more a day. Most people had two or three.

By 2008, about 52,000 of them had died. Compared to those who drank no coffee, men who had two or three cups a day were 10 per cent less likely to die at any age. For women, it was 13 per cent.

Even a single cup a day seemed to lower risk a little: 6 per cent in men and 5 per cent in women. The strongest effect was in women who had four or five cups a day _ a 16 per cent lower risk of death.

None of these are big numbers, though, and Freedman can’t say how much extra life coffee might buy.

“I really can’t calculate that,” especially because smoking is a key factor that affects longevity at every age, he said.

Coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart or respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, injuries, accidents or infections. No effect was seen on cancer death risk, though.

Other research ties coffee drinking to lower levels of markers for inflammation and insulin resistance. Researchers also considered that people in poor health might refrain from drinking coffee and whether their abstention could bias the results. But the study excluded people with cancer and heart disease _ the most common health problems _ to minimize this chance. Also, the strongest benefits of coffee drinking were seen in people who were healthiest when the study began.

About two-thirds of study participants drank regular coffee, and the rest, decaf. The type of coffee made no difference in the results.

Hu had this advice for coffee lovers:

-Watch the sugar and cream. Extra calories and fat could negate any benefits from coffee.

-Drink filtered coffee rather than boiled–filtering removes compounds that raise LDL, the bad cholesterol.

Researchers did not look at tea, soda or other beverages but plan to in future analyses.

Lou and Mariann Maris have already compared them. Sipping a local brew at a lakefront coffee shop, the suburban Milwaukee couple told of how they missed coffee after briefly giving it up in the 1970s as part of a health kick that included transcendental meditation and eating vegetarian.

Mariann Maris switched to tea after being treated for breast cancer in 2008, but again missed the taste of coffee. It’s one of life’s great pleasures, especially because her husband makes it, she said.

“Nothing is as satisfying to me as a cup of coffee in the morning,” she said.

So far in fact, that if all the world’s residents lived like a typical Canadian, about three and a half planets like Earth would be needed to support their demands on natural resources.

That’s the statistic found in a report released by the World Wildlife Fund Tuesday.

The “Living Planet Report” says Canada has the eighth largest ecological footprint per person in the world. The footprint is based on the demands a country’s residents place on natural capital.

Qatar leads the list followed by Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. The United States ranks fifth, followed by Belgium and Australia. The Netherlands and Ireland round out the top 10.

“Our ecological footprint is way beyond a sustainable level,” Steven Price, WWF Canada’s conservation science director, told The Canadian Press.

“By not dialling that footprint down, we are jeopardizing our future descendants’ ability to enjoy a comparable lifestyle, because we’re eating away at their natural capital.”

The report has been published every two years since 1998. It describes the changing state of global biodiversity and the pressure placed on Earth from human consumption of natural resources.

In its latest edition, the publication says biodiversity has declined globally by about 30 per cent between 1970 and 2008 while demands on natural resources have gone up. Areas of high biodiversity are important, the report explains, because they provide important ecosystem services such as carbon storage, fuel wood, freshwater flow and fish stocks.

With the emphasis on ecosystem services, the WWF is trying to drive home the point this year that a large ecological footprint doesn’t just threaten wildlife, but also undermines nature’s ability to provide basics like clean air and fresh soil, which are often taken for granted.

“We’re trying to make an economic point and a vital human survival point,” said Price. “(Our ecological footprint) is actually undermining our own life support system that we use to sustain ourselves.”

The organization argues that Canada has an opportunity as a resource-rich country to protect the future by valuing the natural capital that is at the core of its economy and identity.

“To maintain our lifestyles we consume enormous and wasteful amounts of energy and goods,” said Price. “We believe we can dial that down greatly without undermining our livelihoods or health or our education and the other benefits that we enjoy.”

The way to do that, the organization argues, is for governments to employ conservation policies, alongside development projects, which will protect the country’s landscapes and reduce the use of fossil fuels over time.

On an individual level, Canadians should try to reduce their overall energy use and make greener consumption choices when they can, said Price.

That could be as simple as walking to the grocery store instead of driving and buying a green-certified product once there.

“We can actually live a better and healthier life by consuming less and more wisely,” he said.

The WWF report’s Canadian statistics don’t come as a surprise to at least one sustainability expert.

“As a rule, we use more water and we use more energy than most other countries per capita,” said University of Ottawa professor Andre Potworowski.

“There’s very little incentives or encouragement to use less.”

Part of Canada’s high energy consumption, Potworowski explained, comes from the country’s harsh climates, vast distances and the fact that it has large energy deposits of its own.

But while the country certainly could be using a lot less energy, and has the technology in place to do so, there isn’t any push from the government to do so, he said.

The Conservative government recently rolled a number of new environmental provisions into the federal budget implementation bill, sparking criticism that there will be a narrowing of public participation on environmental policy.

It is also in the process of abolishing the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, the federally funded advisory group formed to give advice and research on sustainable development.

Ottawa has a 2020 target to reduce emissions to 17 per cent below 2005 levels and has said it is committed to tackling climate change, but a recent audit of government regulations has shown reaching that target will be unlikely.

“We live in a political climate where environmental priorities are significantly scaled down,” Potworowski said. “There’s no political will and there’s no popular will to scale our environmental footprint down.”

The authors of Women, Leadership and the Power of the Purse: Gender diversity in the Canadian CPG Retail Industry suggest “a dramatic change in corporate culture” is required to overcome barriers to women’s advancement in the retail sector.

Some of the key challenges facing women include prejudice toward women’s abilities, lack of access to networking and mentoring opportunities, a persistent gender gap in wages and salaries and women’s continued responsibility for child-rearing.

Although women influence more than 80 per cent of purchases in Canada, they account for just 8.9 per cent of CEOs;15 per cent of board directors; and one-fifth of senior managers in the retail industry.

“Perhaps most startling is that we are not making progress, that the number of women in management positions has stagnated,” says Michele Hardinge, co-chair of NEW Canada and senior vice-president of fresh food for Walmart Canada.

Women leaders good for business

The report cites multiple studies suggesting diverse leadership is good for business, leading to more innovation, better response to consumer demands and greater financial returns.

It highlights industry best practices, where retailers are attempting to address some of the more nuanced challenges facing women’s advancement.

“A critical factor is the overt communication by senior leadership that they are willing to do things to help women be successful in their careers,” says Hardinge at Walmart.

Loblaw Companies Ltd., for example, has formalized its efforts to consult women managers and employees on new product designs and marketing initiatives.

And in 2010, Walmart Canada launched its Women in Retail (WIR) program, with a goal to develop and advance more women into positions of leadership by engaging in talks about diversity more openly, identifying candidates for promotion and offering education and training to help women advance.

Sixty per cent of the company’s associates and nearly half of the company’s managers are now women.

The report, produced by Rogers Communications (also owner of Canadian Grocer) found that 56 per cent want real-time access on their mobile devices to information on grocery store items, such as origin, ingredients and how long it’s been on the shelf while 67 per cent would prefer to shop at a store that enables them to use their mobile device for price comparisons, with 64 per cent of men interested in this option versus 54 per cent of women.

And over three quarters (79 per cent) say that the Internet allows them to connect in ways that make their lives better now and 72 per cent expect the Internet to play an increasingly important role in the next five years.

As well, more than half (51 per cent) of survey respondents say they would make better decisions about diet and exercise if technology would allow them to track their vitals, such as blood sugar level, heart rate and cholesterol level, while 57 per cent want a diagnosis by connecting with their doctor online.

“The Internet is indispensable to us today and we have yet to see its full potential,” said Robert Switzman, senior director emerging business, Rogers Communications in a press release. “From apps that monitor cholesterol to fridges that automatically order groceries, the Internet is becoming the backbone of all connections in the world around us, and will continue to evolve how we go about our daily lives.”

Using research from Rogers and Vision Critical, the latest report focuses on how the Internet is being used today and how Canadians will want to use it in the future.

The online survey was conducted from April 13-15 among 1,010 randomly selected Canadians who own a smartphone and are connected to the Internet.

Follow the conversation about the Rogers Innovation Report on Twitter with the hashtag #RIRExplores.

Grocers also lag behind other retail sectors when asked about sales increases in the past year. Only 41 per cent of grocers say their sales have grown significantly or somewhat  compared to an average of 52 per cent for all retail sectors. And 23 per cent of grocery retailers say that sales have declined. The biggest challenges grocers face include: the rising cost of doing business (31 per cent), attracting new customers (17 per cent), and increased competition (16 per cent). In fact, new competitors entering the grocery industry is the top concern of grocers who worry primarily about the arrival of new big box stores.

So how do grocery retailers plan to address these challenges? Almost all (89 per cent) of the grocers surveyed identify the need to put more focus on customer service going forward. More than three-quarters (76 pcr cent) plan to invest in improving customer service; 76 per cent plan to offer sales, promotions or discounts; 74 per cent plan to expand product offerings or services; 37 per cent said they plan to reduce prices; and 46 per cent plan to offer proprietary rewards program.

But as the so-called millennial generation ages, the people who now fall into the 19-35 age range will also be looking for healthier options to easily eat during their morning commute.

A study by the NPD Group shows growth among quick-service restaurants for the morning meal because more Canadians don’t stop in their own kitchens before they head out the door.

The study finds nine per cent of the population prefers to pick up breakfast at outlets such as Tim Hortons or McDonald’s, and this has led to a 14 per cent increase in breakfast sales in the past year.

NPD says if food outlets want to profit from the trend, they’ll need to offer menu items that target millennials.

NPD says as the millennials age they’re expected to be more concerned about nutrition.

So, there will be more demand for breakfast items that are low in calories and come in smaller portion sizes.

Within the next five years, healthy breakfast servings are expected to increase by more than 11 million servings among millennials.

Thirteen months later, it seems there is some good news. In its second annual ranking of Canadian canned tuna brands, released yesterday, Greenpeace gave passing grades to nearly half of the 14 brands.

All but two companies now have seafood sustainability policies in place and several have made notable changes to their sourcing practices, halting the use of some endangered species of tuna and switching to fishing methods that do not kill so many other species in the ocean.

“We have seen some positive change in tuna markets around the world and now we’re seeing Canadian canned tuna brands step up and commit to sourcing more tuna responsibly,” Sarah King, Greenpeace Canada’s oceans campaign co-ordinator, said yesterday.

Greenpeace in particular noted improvements by the Canadian Fishing Company (maker of the Gold Seal brand) and Canada Safeway. Both committed to source all their skipjack tuna from sustainable sources, for instance. Out of a score of 100 per cent, Greenpeace gave the Canadian Fishing Company 56 per cent, up from 40 last year. Safeway shot up to 54 per cent, from just 30 a year ago.

On Tuesday, Safeway Canada said by the end of this year its brand skipjack canned tuna will be caught using free-school purse-seine methods and without employing fish aggregating devices, which are considered harmful.

Free-school tuna is caught by purse-seiners using traditional methods of spotting schools of fish using radar and sonar. Fishing boat captains, meanwhile, spot birds attracted by schools of tuna through binoculars. Safeway’s president, Chuck Mulvenna, said the new sourcing policy addresses consumer demand for a more sustainably sourced product.

In its rankings, Greenpeace also cited the Oceans brand for introducing a line of skipjack canned tuna that’s caught using the low-impact pole and line fishing method.

During the past year, five canned tuna brands stopped using yellowfin tuna, which the environmental group has redlisted as being endangered or threatened.

Greenpeace was critical, however, of the country’s largest canned seafood brand, Clover Leaf Seafoods. Though its score improved this year to 48 per cent from 27 a year ago, Greenpeace said Clover Leaf still employs fishing practices that are destructive and the company has a ways to go to live up to its own sustainable seafood policy.

Clover Leaf was ranked ninth among 14 canned tuna brands, ahead of Overwaitea Food Group’s Western Family brand, Metro’s Selection brand, Walmart’s Great Value brand, Unico and Pastene.

Pastene was given a score of just four per cent and does not appear to have a seafood sustainable procurement policy, Greenpeace wrote in its report. (Pastene did not take part in Greenpeace’s survey.)

On the other end of the scale, No. 1 ranked Raincoast Trading scored 92 per cent. It has a comprehensive sustainability policy that states, among other things, what types of fisheries it will source tuna from and which it won’t. Raincoast also audits suppliers and works with two noted sustainability organizations: SeaChoice and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

Raincoast’s tuna is individually harvested using surface troll jigs, a fishing method that has minimal impact on other types of marine life. It does not buy tuna caught with longlines or nets that often snare other types of species, such as turtles.

Here are Greenpeace’s complete canned tuna brand rankings for 2012 (with scores in brackets):

1. Raincoast Trading (92%)

2. Wild Planet Foods – Wild Planet, Sustainable Seas brands (82%)

3. Canadian Fishing Co. – includes Gold Seal brand (56%)

4. Ocean Brands – Ocean’s brand (55%)

5. Canada Safeway (54%)

6. Sobeys – Compliments, Sensations brands (53%)

7. Loblaw – President’s Choice, No Name brands (49%)

8. Bolton Alimentari Italia SPA – Rio Mare brand (49%)

9. Clover Leaf Seafoods (48%)

10. Overwaitea Food Group – Western Family brand (46%)

11. Metro – Selection brand (45%)

12. Walmart – Great Value brand (42%)

13. Unico (21%)

14. Pastene (4%)

An article in the Montreal Gazette said that the study, which was published in Nutrition Journal, found that despite evidence that the consumption of fruit and vegetables prevent disease and obesity, most Canadians don’t eat the recommended amount of five servings.

“People with less education were not as knowledgeable about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables,” said co-author Sunday Azagba, a PhD candidate in Concordia’s department of economics who specializes in health economics in the Gazette.

“This study furthers our understanding of how finances or lifestyle influence fruit and vegetable consumption to eventually target groups to promote better nutrition policies.”

Data was collected from almost 94,000 people aged 18 to 69.

Other study results included: people with low education and low income eat produce about 4.5 times a day, while those with higher education and income eat it over five times a day; people with higher education levels ate carrots and apples more frequently, regardless of demographic and lifestyle factors; and people with a strong sense of community tend to eat more fruit and vegetables.

The study’s results show the importance of community-based programs in educating people about the health benefits of produce.

The study, published in the January issue of Eating Behaviors, found that nibbling had no negative effect on weight or body mass index, a measure of body fat.

The small study involved 58 Norwegian women, who were assessed on their weight, shape and patterns of eating. More than 90 per cent of the women reported nibbling at least once during the 28-day study, with 40 per cent reporting they nibbled at least every other day.

The study found the more nibbling a woman did, the less likely she was to avoid food or be sensitive to weight gain.

Researchers defined nibbling as eating in an unplanned and repetitious manner between meals and snacks. The authors suggested no link was found between nibbling and a higher body mass index because participants “presumably felt ‘in control’ of their eating.”

If the women assessed their eating pattern as feeling out of control, it was considered binge eating.

A key to eating well is being mindful, said Vicki Edwards, a registered dietitian with the city of Hamilton.

She said some people manage to nibble often and still stay within their healthy weight range, but for others, nibbling can easily lead to weight gain.

It depends on how you approach your eating. Let’s say you plan to eat an apple as an afternoon snack, she said. If you ate the entire apple in 10 minutes it would be considered a snack. If you cut it into wedges and ate it over an hour at your desk, that’s considered nibbling. Either way, the calorie intake is the same. Your total food intake, an apple, is controlled.

“In this scenario, nibbling could be part of a healthy eating pattern.”

On the other hand, uncontrolled nibbling can easily lead to excess calories being consumed.

“It looks like the bowl of peanuts that disappears one at a time, over the course of the evening. You didn’t mean to finish the bowl, but mindlessly it happened.”

Edward’s advice is to follow your feelings of hunger to determine how much to eat and when to stop. You should also plan your eating _ whether it’s meals or nibbling.

The baby boomer generation is shifting to healty eating, according to the annual Eating Patterns in Canada report by NPD Group.

According to the report, boomers are most concerned about nutrition when planning a meal, more than any other age demographic in Canada.

Two-thirds of Canadians 65 years of age and older (72 per cent) say that nutrition is as important as taste when planning a meal.

This compares to 57 per cent of people ages 18 to 34 and 62 per cent of those 35 to 44 who believe nutrition is an important factor.

As Canadians age, fruit and vegetables become more prominent in their diets as meat and protein alternatives become less popular.

“The baby boomer generation represents the largest age group in Canada and, in terms of numbers alone, they have a tremendous influence on Canadian market trends,” said Joel Gregoire, food and beverage industry analyst, The NPD Group. “As this population ages, their eating behaviours begin to change, giving food and beverage companies the opportunity to capitalize on this shift to a healthier lifestyle.”

Driving this trend is the struggle with weight issues, with 63 per cent of people ages 45-64 overweight or obese compared to 51 per cent of those 18 to 44.

The study also found that boomers are not only becoming more selective in the foods they eat, but are becoming much more disciplined in consuming three balanced meals a day.

Key concerns are the ingredients in food.

Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of those 65 years of age and older believe people should be cautious when serving foods with saturated fat; over two-thirds (68 per cent) are concerned with trans fats; and two-thirds (71 per cent) are concerned with salt or sodium.

In addition, Canadians ages 46 to 65 seek healthy options containing more fibre (62 per cent), antioxidants (37 per cent) and omega 3 fatty acids (35 per cent).

The top three labels Canadians look for on food are: low fat, whole grain and trans fat free, while the top three on beverages are low fat, light/ lite/ diet and vitamins added.

And boomers are more likely to follow Canada’s Food Guide. In 2011, just over one quarter of Canadians (28 per cent) claimed to adhere to its guidelines, while 44 per cent of Canadians 65 years and older embrace the guide’s recommendations.