A popular morning beverage could do more than provide a perk — it may also help women stay healthier as they age.
That’s according to new research from Harvard University, which followed nearly 50,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study over a 30-year period.
The researchers found that drinking coffee every morning could help women stay mentally sharp and physically strong later in life, according to a press release from the American Society for Nutrition.
Dr. Sara Mahdavi, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explained that “healthy aging here meant surviving to older age without major chronic diseases and with good physical, mental and cognitive function.”
The benefits were observed specifically in middle-aged women who drank caffeinated coffee. Decaf coffee and tea did not show the same effects.
Importantly, the link persisted even after researchers accounted for other health factors like diet quality, physical activity, and smoking—each of which are also strongly associated with healthy aging.
Women who qualified as “healthy agers” consumed an average of 315 mg of caffeine daily, primarily through coffee.
Each additional cup of coffee was linked to a 2% to 5% greater chance of aging healthfully. However, those who drank caffeinated soda daily were found to have a 20% to 26% lower likelihood of healthy aging.
Mahdavi said, “The health benefits appeared specific to coffee, rather than caffeine more broadly. We didn’t see the same associations with decaf coffee, tea, or caffeinated soda—suggesting that coffee’s unique combination of bioactive compounds may play a key role.”
The findings were presented Monday at NUTRITION 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando.
Mahdavi noted, “While past studies have linked coffee to individual health outcomes, our study is the first to assess coffee’s impact across multiple domains of aging over three decades. The findings suggest that caffeinated coffee may uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function.”
Still, she acknowledged some limitations to the research. “As with all observational studies, we cannot establish causality. While we adjusted for many factors, unmeasured confounding is always possible,” Mahdavi said.
She also cautioned that the study population consisted mostly of white, educated female health professionals.
“Further work is needed to confirm generalizability to broader populations,” she said.
Despite the promising connection between coffee and healthy aging, Mahdavi emphasized that “regular exercise, good nutrition and not smoking” remain the “most powerful and proven contributors” to longevity.
She said, “These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long-term health.Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors.
“We don’t recommend starting coffee if you don’t already drink it or if you’re sensitive to caffeine. But for people who already consume moderate amounts—typically two to four cups per day—this study adds to the evidence that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”
The Harvard team is now exploring how coffee’s bioactive compounds—especially polyphenols and antioxidants—might influence inflammation, metabolism, and vascular health as part of the molecular aging process.
“Genetic and hormonal differences may also shape how individuals respond, which could pave the way for more personalized guidance in the future,” Mahdavi concluded.
(Fox News)
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