A groundbreaking study of 40,000 adults has found that drinking coffee in the morning can significantly reduce the risk of death and cardiovascular disease. The research, published in the European Heart Journal, shows that morning coffee drinkers are 16% less likely to die from any cause and 31% less likely to die from heart-related issues over a 10-year period compared to those who avoid coffee. However, these health benefits vanish for those who drink coffee later in the day, suggesting that timing plays a crucial role in coffee’s impact on health.
The study, led by Professor Lu Qi, a nutrition and epidemiology expert at Tulane University in New Orleans, analysed data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2018. It found that 36% of participants drank coffee in the morning, while 16% consumed it later in the day. Those who drank coffee throughout the day showed no significant reduction in mortality compared to non-coffee drinkers.
Professor Qi emphasised the importance of timing, stating, “It’s not just whether you drink coffee, or how much you drink, but also the time of day you drink it. We don’t usually give advice about timing in our nutrition recommendations, but maybe we should think about it in the future.”
The researchers suggest that drinking coffee later in the day may disrupt circadian rhythms and hormone levels, such as melatonin, which can negatively affect sleep, inflammation, and blood pressure. These factors are critical for heart health. Professor Thomas Lüscher, a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals in London, noted that poor sleep among all-day coffee drinkers could be a contributing factor.
Interestingly, the study found that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee offer similar benefits, indicating that other bioactive compounds in coffee, such as anti-inflammatory agents, may play a role. These compounds are thought to counteract inflammation-causing substances that peak in the morning.