Drinking Coffee in the Morning Linked to Better Heart Health
A new study suggests that drinking coffee in the morning may offer significant heart health benefits.
New Delhi: A new study suggests that drinking coffee in the morning may offer significant heart health benefits. The research, published in the European Heart Journal, reveals that people who consume coffee in the morning have a lower risk of dying from heart disease and an overall lower mortality risk compared to those who drink coffee throughout the day.
The study, conducted by researchers from Tulane University in the US, found that morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die from any cause and 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. However, no such reduction in risk was found for those who drank coffee at various times throughout the day.
“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,” said Dr. Lu Qi, Professor at Tulane University.
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The study analyzed data from 40,725 adults between 1999 and 2018. Participants were asked about their food and drink consumption, including when they consumed coffee, how much, and whether they drank it in the morning, afternoon, or evening. The study also included a subgroup of 1,463 people who kept a detailed food and drink diary for one week.
Over a period of nine to ten years, the researchers linked the participants’ coffee-drinking habits to records of deaths and causes of death. More than one-third of the participants were morning coffee drinkers (primarily drinking coffee before midday), while less than a quarter drank coffee throughout the day. Nearly 48% of participants were non-coffee drinkers.
Morning coffee drinkers experienced lower risks of death, regardless of whether they were moderate drinkers (two to three cups) or heavy drinkers (more than three cups). Light morning drinkers (one cup or less) also experienced a smaller decrease in risk.
While the study did not provide a clear mechanism behind the health benefits of morning coffee, Dr. Qi offered a possible explanation. “Consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin. This, in turn, leads to changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and blood pressure,” he said, calling for further studies to validate the findings.
