Coffee drinkers may want to reconsider their afternoon and evening consumption: a new study suggests drinking it only in the morning can reduce the risk of heart disease and all-cause mortality.
During a median follow-up period of almost 10 years, the morning coffee drinkers were 16 percent less likely to die of any cause, and 31 percent less likely to die of heart disease, than those who didn’t drink coffee at all.
However, the stats didn’t show any reduction in risk for all-day coffee drinkers.
“This is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes,” says epidemiologist Lu Qi, from Tulane University.
“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.”
Because a recent study indicates that drinking coffee only in the morning can lower the risk of heart disease and all-cause mortality, coffee drinkers may want to reevaluate how much they consume in the afternoon and evening.
The researchers conducting the observational study, led by a team from Tulane University in New Orleans, examined the coffee consumption patterns of 40,725 adults, including 1,463 participants who answered a more thorough food and drink diet questionnaire.
Coffee drinkers in the morning had a 16 percent lower risk of dying from any cause and a 31 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease over a median follow-up period of nearly ten years. All-day coffee drinkers did not, however, appear to be at any lower risk, according to the statistics.
According to Tulane University epidemiologist Lu Qi, “this is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes.”. According to our research, the time of day that you drink coffee matters more than whether you drink it or how much you can. “..”.
Although timing isn’t usually something we recommend in our dietary guidelines, maybe we ought to consider it in the future. “,”.
As is typical with observational research, a strong association rather than a direct cause and effect is implied.
Age, sex, physical activity, and sleep patterns are some of the variables that the researchers adjusted for that may have an impact on heart health and mortality, but there are probably many more that they overlooked, like genetics.
Both moderate (2–3 cups per day) and heavy (3 or more cups per day) morning coffee drinkers experienced a similar risk reduction. Light drinkers (less than two cups) in the morning group experienced smaller risk reductions.
There are many potential explanations for this relationship, but this study doesn’t examine them. Since caffeine is known to have a stimulating effect, it’s possible that this is interfering with the body’s normal afternoon and evening functions.
“A potential explanation is that coffee consumption in the afternoon or evening may interfere with hormone levels like melatonin and circadian rhythms,” Qi says.
Consequently, there are alterations in cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure and inflammation. “.
Several previous studies have connected coffee drinking to health benefits, such as lowering the risk of certain cancers recurring, extending life expectancy, and preventing high blood pressure and strokes.
In fact, coffee contains hundreds of different substances, all of which scientists are still trying to identify and understand how they affect the body. Drinking it later in the day might be a good idea in the interim.
Qi states that “clinical trials are required to test the potential impact of changing the time of day when people drink coffee, and further studies are needed to validate our findings in other populations.”.
