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If you are one of the more than a billion people worldwide who start their day with a cup of coffee, there may be some good news. A new study published in the European Heart Journal suggests that coffee drinks live longer and healthier lives.The catch? To reap the brew’s benefits, you need to drink it in the morning.
Morning vs All Day Coffee Drinkers
The researchers set out to find out if when you drink coffee makes a difference in health benefits. “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,” Dr Lu Qi, a professor at Tulane University and the study’s main author said in a press release from the European Society of Cardiology.
His team surveyed 40,725 adults about their coffee habits. Roughly a third of the participants reported drinking coffee primarily in the morning hours (before noon). About 16 percent consumed coffee throughout the day. And, roughly half of the participants didn’t drink coffee regularly at all.
The research team followed participants over the course of a decade. They found that morning coffee drinkers were 16 percent less likely to die of heart disease than both the non-coffee drinkers and the all-day drinkers. Pre-noon coffee enthusiasts were also 31 percent less likely to die of heart disease than either of the other two groups.
Qi said in the press release, “This is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes. 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 typically give advice about timing in our dietary guidance, but perhaps we should be thinking about this in the future.”
Why Timing Matters
There are a few reasons why sipping your latte is better in the morning than later in the day.
According to Health, late-day caffeine consumption can make it more difficult to fall asleep. And since adequate sleep plays an important role in regulating blood pressure and promoting cardiovascular health. That’s why drinking coffee earlier in the day is better for you.
An additional theory that the study’s authors cited on why morning coffee seems to be more beneficial than all day coffee is that coffee beans are packed with antioxidants and may provide drinkers with anti-inflammatory benefits. However, the body’s anti-inflammatory markers peak in the morning, making the dawn to noon hours the optimal time to reap coffee’s anti-inflammatory benefits.
Reaping the Benefits of Coffee
The study found that the amount of coffee you drink may also make a difference in cardiovascular health and longevity, according to the press release.
Interestingly, the participants who reaped the biggest benefit from drinking coffee self-reported as being moderate or heavy morning drinkers, categorized respectively as finishing two to three, or three or more, cups of coffee in the morning hours. Light coffee consumption, downing only one cup before noon, was still correlated with a lower risk of death than drinking coffee all day or not at all, but to a lesser extent than drinking several cups.
Drinking around three cups daily to obtain coffee’s peak cardiovascular benefits, suggests mindbodygreen. In addition, overroasted coffee can lose both flavor and antioxidants, so for optimal health benefits, look for a blend that is still rich in antioxidants.
Professor Thomas F. Lüscher from Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals in London said in the press release: “We must accept the now substantial evidence that coffee drinking, particularly in the morning hours, is likely to be healthy. Thus, drink your coffee, but do so in the morning!”
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