This Is the Best Time of Day to Drink Coffee to Boost Longevity
Drinking coffee at a certain time of day may be best for heart health and longevity, per a new study.
Researchers found that morning coffee drinkers had a lower overall mortality risk compared to all-day coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers.
Experts explain the findings.
The benefits of drinking coffee are vast—studies have found that it may help reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack, boost muscle mass, and even add years to your life. However, new research shows that the time of day you drink a cup may matter when it comes to heart health and longevity.
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, says Melissa Prest, D.C.N., R.D.N., national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and member of the Prevention Medical Review Board.
Emerging evidence 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, says Adedapo Iluyomade, M.D., preventative cardiologist with Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. “This association may be due to coffee’s interaction with circadian rhythms, as 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, agrees Prest, as “poor sleep quality and lack of sleep can affect your health and wellbeing.”
The bottom line
This study highlights that both the timing and amount of coffee you drink matter when assessing its health benefits, says 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 explains.
Coffee’s health benefits are not limited to cardiovascular protection, Dr. Iluyomade continues. “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 points out.
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