- There is a strong link between the time of day that people drink coffee and their longevity, according to one study.
- Researchers found that morning coffee drinkers had a lower all-cause mortality risk and a lower risk of heart disease compared to people who drank coffee all day or didn’t drink it at all.
- Morning coffee consumption seems to align best with the body’s circadian rhythms, promoting better sleep and supporting healthy hormone secretion.
Studies continue to pile up on the health benefits of drinking coffee. Researchers say that it may help reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack, boost muscle mass, and even add years to your life, provided you aren’t adding heaps of sweetener to every cup. What’s more, research suggests that just as there is a best time of day to drink coffee for energy, there is also a best time of day to drink coffee for longevity. Read on to discover why the timing of your coffee intake matters for how well you’re aging and how many benefits you can get from your sip.
Meet the experts: Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University; Melissa Mroz-Planells, D.C.N., R.D.N., national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and member of the Prevention Medical Review Board; Adedapo Iluyomade, M.D., preventative cardiologist with Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.
A study published in the European Heart Journal looked into the timing of drinking coffee and how it relates to longevity. The analysis involved 40,725 adults in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018, in which participants were asked about all the food and drink they consumed on at least one day, including whether they drank coffee, how much, and when. It also included a sub-group of 1,463 people who were asked to complete a detailed food and drink diary for a full week. This information was then linked with records of deaths and causes of death over a period of nine to 10 years.
The researchers found that compared with people who did not drink coffee, morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die of any cause and 31% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease. However, there was no reduction in risk for all-day coffee drinkers compared to non-coffee drinkers.
Morning coffee drinkers were found to have a lower risk of all-cause mortality and heart disease, whether they had two to three cups per day or more than three cups. In comparison, those who had one cup or less in the morning benefitted from a smaller decrease in risk.
“Our findings indicate that it’s not just whether you drink coffee or how much you drink, but the time of day when you drink coffee that’s important,” senior study author Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University said in a news release. “We don’t typically give advice about timing in our dietary guidance,” Dr. Qi continued, “but perhaps we should be thinking about this in the future.”
So, how does coffee benefit health? In addition to making you feel upbeat and energized, coffee also contains phenolic acid and flavonoids—antioxidants that protect your body from the damage caused by free radicals, said Melissa Mroz-Planells, D.C.N., R.D.N., national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and member of the Prevention Medical Review Board.
That said, this study suggests that morning coffee consumption, as opposed to an all-day pattern, may be linked to even lower risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. “This association may be due to coffee’s interaction with circadian rhythms,” said Adedapo Iluyomade, M.D., preventative cardiologist with Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. “Consuming caffeine later in the day can disrupt sleep patterns and melatonin secretion, potentially negating some of its health benefits.”
Having coffee earlier in the day is usually recommended so as not to disrupt your circadian rhythm, agreed Mroz-Planells, as “poor sleep quality and lack of sleep can affect your health and wellbeing.” A study published in Sleep Health even found that poor sleep quality was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older adults.
The bottom line
This study highlights that both the timing and amount of coffee you drink matter when assessing its health benefits, said Dr. Iluyomade. “Regular, moderate coffee intake in the morning appears to confer a greater protective effect against cardiovascular and overall mortality compared to sporadic or late-day consumption, emphasizing the importance of aligning dietary habits with natural circadian rhythms,” he explained.
Coffee’s health benefits are not limited to cardiovascular protection, Dr. Iluyomade continued. “Moderate intake has also been linked to a reduced risk of several chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases.” However, these associations are based on observational data, so individuals should consider their own tolerance and response to caffeine, he pointed out. Either way, if you like to start your day with a cup or two of coffee, feel free to keep at it—just consider switching to other beverages like water later in the day to get the most health benefits.
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