They suggest that drinking coffee regularly may help with healthy aging.
Researchers examined food frequency questionnaires to look at caffeine intake from decaf and regular tea, cola, and decaf and regular coffee.
Most caffeine intake came from coffee, and the median caffeine consumption at baseline was 315 mg daily.
Researchers did not find an association between healthy aging or its domains and drinking tea, decaffeinated tea, or decaffeinated coffee.
It might also be helpful to do further research that considers other age ranges and healthy aging outcomes.
There are numerous potential health benefits of coffee, and research into these benefits is still ongoing.
The potential effects of coffee on women in particular are of interest to experts.
According to the findings of a recent study presented at the Nutrition 2025 conference, coffee consumption may raise women’s risk of avoiding serious chronic illnesses and physical or mental impairments as they age.
Coffee may help lower the risk of diabetes and liver disease, among other health benefits. The possible advantages of coffee and its potential effects on particular demographics are of interest to experts.
When it comes to aging well, coffee consumption may be beneficial for women. Recent study findings indicate that women in the Nurses’ Health Study were more likely to experience no physical function limitations, memory complaints, mental health impairments, cognitive impairments, or major chronic diseases if they consumed caffeine in excess and on a regular basis.
At Nutrition 2025, a conference that took place in Orlando, Florida from May 31 to June 3, 2025, the study’s findings were presented. According to them, regular coffee consumption may promote healthy aging.
A peer-reviewed publication has not yet published these findings.
Although the term “healthy aging” is broad, participants in this study were considered to be in good health if they satisfied the following requirements.
surviving to be at least 70 years old.
being free of the eleven main chronic illnesses.
being unrestricted by physical limitations.
free from cognitive or mental health impairments.
having no issues with memory.
Nurses’ Health Study data was used by researchers. With the help of this cohort, researchers were able to collect data from many women over an extended period of time. Among them were 47,513 women in total.
The caffeine intake from decaf and regular tea, cola, and decaf and regular coffee was investigated by researchers using food frequency questionnaires. The average of the food frequency surveys from 1984 and 1986 was used to calculate a baseline exposure.
They looked at caffeine intake in increments of 80 milligrams (mg). They examined cola consumption in 12-ounce glasses daily and coffee consumption in 8-ounce cups daily.
They were able to account for variables such as the ages, levels of physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption of the participants in their analyses. The study followed participants for 30 years, and researchers examined surveys from 2014 and 2016. Just over 3,700 women met the study’s criteria for healthy aging in 2016.
At baseline, the median daily caffeine intake was 315 mg, with coffee accounting for the majority of caffeine intake. The likelihood that participants would experience healthy aging and its subdomains increased with total caffeine intake. Examining caffeine sources, participants who regularly drank coffee were more likely to age healthily.
Tea, decaffeinated tea, and decaffeinated coffee consumption were not linked to healthy aging or any of its domains, according to the researchers. The findings also implied that women’s chances of aging healthily may be lowered by cola consumption.
Postdoctoral fellow Sara Mahdavi, BSc, HBSc, RD, MSc, PhD, is the study’s author. H. The study’s findings were highlighted by Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University and Chan, an adjunct professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto in Canada’s Faculty of Medicine, to Medical News Today.
We discovered that consuming moderate amounts of caffeinated coffee in midlife was somewhat linked to healthy aging in later life. We had a strict definition of healthy aging: living into old age without significant chronic illness, cognitive decline, physical disability, or poor mental health. Drinking more coffee was associated with a roughly 2% increased risk of healthy aging, whereas drinking cola was linked to a 20% decreased risk. Although slight, the association seemed to be dose-responsive for coffee and did not occur with decaf or tea, presumably because of lower intake and variations in bioactive content. “”.
It might be too soon to make firm judgments based on the results of this study, even though it seems promising for coffee drinkers.
First, it would be useful to see if similar results could be replicated in other groups, as the data only included women, and the majority of them were white. Further research that takes into account different age ranges and healthy aging outcomes may also be beneficial.
Furthermore, there may have been some errors because at least some of the data depended on participants responding to questions about their health. It’s also possible that confounding variables that might have affected the final results were overlooked by the researchers.
The study’s other specifics are also currently unknown. For instance, information regarding certain coffee additives, such as sugar and creamer, is available for this cohort based on another published study; however, it is unclear how researchers might have handled this or other scenarios involving coffee additives, or taken into consideration variables like coffee type in the current study.
Since they concentrated on baseline caffeine consumption, it is also unclear if they took changes in caffeine intake into account.
Bruce G. The Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s president, Rankin, DO, CPI, FACOFP, who was not involved in the current study, informed MNT that “.
Meta-analysis research may provide more credence to the idea that drinking moderate amounts of caffeinated coffee each day encourages healthy aging. The findings would imply that caffeinated coffee offers women a long-term clinical health benefit if they are reproducible. When consumed in moderation, caffeinated coffee is known to be safe for most people. Certain medical conditions, such as hypertension, call for careful monitoring of excessive caffeine consumption. “”.
Overall, the study’s findings point to potential long-term advantages for women who drink coffee in their midlife. It also highlights the possible harm associated with soda consumption.
Not involved in the study, Sherry Ross, MD, a board-certified OB/GYN and Women’s Health Expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, stated that the study’s “clinical implications […] support the health benefits of moderately consuming caffeinated coffee, [and that] with its antioxidants and other bioactive compounds, [coffee] should be encouraged for healthy aging.”. “”.
According to Ross, “for healthier aging, adding caffeinated coffee to your list of healthy lifestyle choices should be encouraged.”. “This study also demonstrates that in order to promote healthy aging, less consumption of sugary soft drinks should be promoted. In order to increase your chances of living a long and healthy life, you should make lifestyle decisions that include the nonalcoholic beverages you drink as you age. “.”.
There should be some prudence, though, even with coffee’s acknowledged advantages. Talking to a doctor about caffeine’s potential effects on underlying conditions or interactions with medications is a good idea, especially for those taking medication to manage chronic conditions.
The following warning was provided by Mahdavi.
Coffee does not always have positive effects. Hormonal factors like estrogen, which slows down the clearance of caffeine, and genetics both play a significant role in the variations in caffeine metabolism. We have previously demonstrated that women who have slower metabolisms of caffeine (caused by genetic variations in the CYP1A2 gene) may not benefit from high intakes and may be more vulnerable to negative effects. In future recommendations, personalized nutrition—which considers both sex and genetic differences—will be crucial. “”.
