Morning coffee users had a decreased risk of heart disease

A study of more than 40,000 American adults has indicated that the time of coffee intake is likely just as significant as how much coffee we drink when it comes to living a longer life.

The study builds on past evidence correlating moderate coffee drinking to multiple health advantages, including lower odds of Type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes.

While earlier research focused on how much coffee people consume, this one concentrated on when they drank it—and the findings might inspire some folks to alter their coffee habits.

Coffee timing and health consequences

“Research so far suggests that drinking coffee doesn’t raise the risk of heart disease, and it seems to lower the risk of some chronic diseases,” noted Lu Qi, a professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health.

“Given the effects that caffeine has on our bodies, we wanted to see if the time of day when you drink coffee has any impact on heart health.”

Together with researchers from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and George Washington University, Qi investigated coffee consumption trends across tens of thousands of individuals.

The experts grouped coffee users into two primary groups: morning-type drinkers, who consume most of their coffee between 4 a.m. and noon (36% of the participants), and all-day-type drinkers, who stretch their coffee consumption from morning into the evening (14% of participants). The remaining 48% did not drink coffee at all.

Morning coffee offers the highest advantages

The scientists observed that people who get their caffeine fix in the early hours had the highest advantages. The study tracked individuals for slightly under 10 years.

The investigation indicated that morning coffee users had a 16% reduced risk of mortality from any cause and a 31% lower risk of death from heart disease, compared to persons who took no coffee.

In contrast, persons who consumed coffee continuously throughout the day did not demonstrate substantial mortality decreases.

The research, published in the European Heart Journal, also indicated that these effects were highest at moderate consumption levels. Among morning coffee users, individuals who consumed two to three cups per day lowered their all-cause mortality risk by 29% vs. non-drinkers.

Even strong coffee users (over three cups daily) revealed a 21% decreased mortality risk, while moderate drinkers (one cup or less) observed a 15% reduction.

Powerful heart health benefits

The advantages were most obvious in heart health: moderate morning drinkers observed a 48% drop in heart-related fatalities, with heavy drinkers at 39% and light drinkers at 35%.

These connections remained substantial even after the scientists adjusted for other characteristics such as age, sex, race, wealth, education, smoking status, and pre-existing health issues.

“This is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes,” Qi added.

“Our findings indicate that it’s not just whether you drink coffee or how much you drink, but the time of day when you drink coffee that’s important. We don’t normally provide recommendations regarding time in our nutritional counsel, but maybe we should be thinking about this in the future.”

Why morning coffee may be best

Researchers suggest two primary theories to explain why morning coffee might deliver more noticeable advantages.

First, late-day coffee intake may affect the body’s circadian rhythms by decreasing the generation of melatonin, a hormone crucial to regulating sleep-wake cycles and connected to cardiovascular health.

Previous experiments revealed excessive coffee drinking in the afternoon or evening may reduce sleep melatonin by 30%.

Second, coffee’s anti-inflammatory properties may be more effective in the morning, when the body’s inflammatory signals tend to peak. Drinking coffee at that time may supply its anti-inflammatory chemicals exactly when the body can most effectively employ them.

A closer look at coffee’s advantages

The research yielded a range of numbers indicating mortality risk decreases for varied intake levels among morning coffee consumers.

Some ask why the overall advantage for morning drinkers (16% reduced mortality risk) looks less than the advantages for subgroups (15%, 29%, or 21% lower risk).

This disparity derives from conflicting analytical methodologies. When the researchers split morning coffee consumers by how many cups they drank, they discovered details that a single overall comparison could not.

Both results suggest that morning coffee helps cut mortality risk, but the subgroup breakdown gives a more precise picture.

Implications for public health

With coffee ranked among the globe’s most popular drinks, these results may inspire coffee fans to evaluate not only how much they drink but also when they consume it.

The 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines currently consider moderate coffee use as consistent with a healthy lifestyle. This unique viewpoint on time reveals other methods to improve coffee’s health benefits.

The study cannot show a conclusive cause-and-effect link, and experts advise that additional research is required. Nonetheless, for individuals aiming to optimize coffee’s potential health advantages—most notably in connection to lifespan and heart health—morning drinking could be the optimum option.

By showing how time may alter coffee’s positive benefits, the research presents fresh concerns for future inquiry. Could an additional afternoon cup negate any of the advantages garnered from morning coffee? Should future dietary guidelines incorporate time as part of their recommendations?

As coffee enthusiasts explore these options, one thing is clear: morning could just be the best time to sip that first cup.