New research suggests that morning coffee may have significant health benefits, including a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Adults Who Drink Coffee in the Morning Have a 16% Lower Risk of Death Than Non-Coffee Drinkers
According to the Korea Food Communication Forum (KOFRUM), a research team led by Dr. Lu Qi at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, USA, conducted a 9.8-year follow-up study on 40,725 adult men and women who participated in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018.
Half of the study participants were regular coffee drinkers, while the other half did not drink coffee. During the nearly 10-year study period, 4,295 participants died. Among them, 36% were exclusively morning coffee drinkers (consuming coffee between 4 a.m. and noon), and 16% drank coffee throughout the day without a specific time preference.
The key finding was that adults who primarily drank coffee in the morning had a 16% lower risk of death from any cause than those who did not drink coffee at all over the study period. Notably, their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 31% lower. However, the study found no significant association between coffee consumption and reduced mortality risk among those who drank coffee throughout the day.
In the research paper, Dr. Qi stated that this study is the first to investigate the impact of coffee consumption timing on health, suggesting that morning coffee may be particularly beneficial. He explained that drinking coffee in the afternoon or evening could disrupt circadian rhythms and affect hormones like melatonin, potentially increasing cardiovascular risk factors.
Coffee’s Anti-Inflammatory Effects Are Strongest in the Morning
The research team noted that coffee consumption reduced risk in both moderate (1-3 cups) and high (more than 3 cups) morning coffee drinkers. They attributed many of coffee’s health benefits to its anti-inflammatory properties, mainly due to caffeine and chlorogenic acid, which are bioactive compounds found in coffee.
Additionally, the researchers found that coffee’s anti-inflammatory effects are strongest in the morning, further explaining why morning coffee may be more beneficial for health. This is because the body’s inflammation levels peak in the morning. These findings were recently published in the European Heart Journal, an official journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
