India, July 6 -- Caffeine has long been linked to potential health benefits, including reduced risk of age-related diseases, a new study said.

But how it works inside our cells, and what exactly are its connections with nutrient and stress responsive gene and protein networks has remained a mystery -until now.

In new research published by scientists studying fission yeast-a single-celled organism surprisingly similar to human cells-researchers found that caffeine affects ageing by tapping into an ancient cellular energy system.

A few years ago, the same research team found that caffeine helps cells live longer by acting on a growth regulator called TOR (Target of Rapamycin).

TOR is a biological switch that tells cells when to grow, ba...