Good news for avid morning coffee drinkers: according to new research, those who enjoy coffee early in the day have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and reduced overall mortality risk compared to those who drink coffee throughout the day.
Approximately 73 percent of Americans drink coffee in the morning, and this habit has become deeply embedded in cultures globally. Coffee consumption as we know it today began in the Middle East in the 15th century during the Ottoman Empire. Considered a morning ritual for many, coffeehouses (qahveh khaneh in Persian) were readily available for people to attend and enjoy—a way to start off their day.
Studying Morning Coffee Consumption
The study led by Dr. Lu Qi, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and Professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University, analyzed data from 40,725 adults who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018. Participants were asked to report all food and drink consumed at least one day, including their coffee consumption—how much, when, and whether they drank it. A group of 1,463 individuals were also asked to complete a detailed food and drink diary over a week.
“In the morning hours, there is commonly a marked increase in sympathetic activity as we wake up and get out of bed, an effect that fades away during the day and reaches its lowest level during sleep,” Qi notes. “And that coffee drinking in the afternoon or evening disrupts the circadian rhythm of sympathetic activity.”
“Indeed, many all-day drinkers suffer from sleep disturbances,” Qi adds. “In this context, it is of interest that coffee seems to suppress melatonin, an important sleep-inducing mediator in the brain.”
Linking participants’ coffee consumption habits with death records and causes of death over nine to ten years, 36 percent were morning coffee drinkers (consuming coffee before midday), 16 percent drank coffee throughout the day, and 48 percent did not drink coffee. Compared to non-coffee drinkers, morning coffee drinkers were 16 percent less likely to die from any cause and 31 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. In contrast, all-day coffee drinkers showed no reduction in risk.
“Research so far suggests that drinking coffee doesn’t raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, and it seems to lower the risk of some chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes,” Qi said of the findings. “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.”
The benefits were observed among morning coffee drinkers regardless of whether they were moderate (two to three cups) or heavy drinkers (more than three cups). However, light morning drinkers (one cup or less) experienced less risk reduction.
“This study doesn’t tell us why drinking coffee in the morning reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease,” suggests Qi. “Further studies are needed to validate our findings in other populations, and we need clinical trials to test the potential impact of changing the time of day when people drink coffee.”
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on The Debrief’s YouTube Channel. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton and at chrissynewton.com.