Drinking coffee in the morning reduces risk of death by 16%

MORNING coffee drinkers had a 16% risk reduction for death from all causes and consuming between over two to three or more cups achieved the greatest benefits.

In a report of an observational cohort study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers showed that people who drink coffee in the morning have a lower risk for death from all causes compared with those who do not drink coffee at all.

They declared that the association between morning coffee consumption and reduced mortality risk appeared especially strong with respect to cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Meanwhile, the analysis revealed that those who drank coffee throughout the day did not achieve the same mortality benefits as morning drinkers.

Lu Qi, a professor at Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in a press release, said although moderate coffee drinking is beneficial for health based on previous studies, the time of coffee drinking also matters, beyond the amounts consumed.

In the study, Qi and colleagues assessed links between mortality and coffee consumption—including the volume and timing—using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018.

The analysis comprised 40,725 adults who had given dietary data of what they consumed on at least one day. This included a subgroup of 1,463 adults who completed a detailed food and drink diary for an entire week.

Overall, 48% of the cohort did not drink coffee, 36% had a morning-type coffee drinking pattern — primarily drinking from 4 a.m. to 11:59 a.m.—and 16% had an all-day drinking pattern.

While the study did not explain why morning coffee consumption reduced the risk of death from CVD, Qi said a possible explanation is that consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin. This, in turn, leads to changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and blood pressure.

Qi, however, said, “More studies are needed to investigate coffee drinking timing with other health outcomes, in different populations, and clinical trials would be helpful to provide evidence for causality.”

READ ALSO: Drinking coffee in moderation linked to lower diabetes, heart disease risk, scientists say