Coffee Timing Linked To Health Outcomes

Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

What time you drink your coffee may be just as important as how much you drink.

According to new research, morning coffee drinkers had a significantly lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer compared to those who consumed coffee throughout the day.

Impact on Mortality Risk

The large-scale study, published in the European Heart Journal on Wednesday, tracked more than 40,000 adults for nearly a decade.

Researchers found that there were two types of coffee drinkers: those who drank coffee only in the morning (36 percent of participants) and those who drank coffee throughout the day (about 15 percent).

Compared to people who did not drink coffee, morning coffee drinkers showed a 16 percent lower risk of death from all causes. The reduction in cardiovascular death risk was even more pronounced, with morning drinkers showing a 31 percent lower risk.

In contrast, people who drank coffee all day had no significant reduction in death risk.

Amount of Coffee We Drink Also Matters

Researchers also discovered that the timing of coffee consumption affected the relationship between the amount of coffee people drank and their mortality risk.

Among morning-type drinkers, both moderate (1 to 3 cups) and heavy (more than 3 cups) coffee drinkers had the highest reduction in mortality risk, with moderate drinkers benefitting slightly more.

However, this benefit was not seen in coffee drinkers who drank coffee throughout the day. This suggests drinking your coffee in the morning is more beneficial for cardiovascular health and overall longevity than having it later in the day.

Possible Mechanisms

While the exact mechanism of how drinking coffee in the morning reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease remains unclear, afternoon or evening coffee consumption might disrupt circadian rhythms and melatonin levels, Dr. Lu Qi, lead researcher and professor at Tulane’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, told The Epoch Times.

These disruptions could affect cardiovascular risk factors like inflammation and blood pressure.

“Previous studies have shown drinking coffee is related to lower risk of mortality and risk of chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers,” Qi said. “Our study for the first time indicates that the time of coffee drinking matters regarding its beneficial effects, and drinking coffee in the morning only may strengthen the benefits.”

Qi emphasized the importance of considering both the timing and amount of coffee intake when considering its effects on health outcomes.

He added that further studies are needed to validate these findings in other populations and test the impact of changing coffee consumption timing.