And their status as private companies made it difficult for elected officials to exercise the kind of oversight that ordinary government agencies receive.

FORBES: Jane Jacobs and the Problem of Monstrous Hybrids

Although the researchers took into account a wide range of extenuating factors, including diet and exercise regimens, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and marital status, it's possible that people who drink coffee differ from the rest of the population in as-yet unidentified ways that make them less vulnerable to disease and early death.

CNN: Coffee drinking linked to longer life