Morning coffee may lower risk of early death, study finds

Drinking coffee in the morning may reduce the risk of early death, especially from cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found that morning coffee drinkers had a lower mortality risk than those who consumed coffee throughout the day. However, the study could not establish whether coffee alone was the cause.

Dr Lu Qi, the lead researcher and director of Tulane University’s Obesity Research Center, suggested that drinking coffee later in the day might disrupt the body’s internal clock, potentially explaining the link. He noted that further research is necessary to confirm these findings across other populations and through clinical trials.

“This study doesn’t explain why coffee consumption in the morning is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk,” Dr. Qi said. “One possible reason is that drinking coffee in the afternoon or evening may interfere with circadian rhythms and hormones like melatonin, leading to changes in inflammation and blood pressure.”

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The study analyzed data from 40,725 adults who participated in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2018. Participants reported their coffee consumption habits, including the time of day they drank coffee.

Over nearly 10 years of follow-up, 4,295 participants died, including 1,268 deaths related to cardiovascular disease. The findings showed that morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die from any cause and 31% less likely to die from heart disease compared to non-coffee drinkers. However, no significant mortality risk reduction was observed in all-day coffee drinkers.

The researchers also discovered that higher coffee intake was significantly linked to a lower risk of death, but only among morning coffee drinkers.

In an accompanying editorial, Prof Thomas F Luscher from Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals in London discussed why the timing of coffee consumption might matter.

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He explained that in the morning, the body experiences increased sympathetic activity as it wakes up, which diminishes later in the day. Drinking coffee later might disrupt the body’s natural rhythm and interfere with melatonin, a hormone essential for sleep.

The study also observed that morning coffee drinkers were more likely to consume tea and caffeinated soda, but less coffee overall, compared to all-day drinkers.

Source: with inputs from BBC