- Numerous studies have examined the effects of coffee drinking every day on heart health.
- A new study from researchers at Tulane University for the first time shows the importance of coffee drinking time on health outcomes, rather than just the amount consumed.
- Scientists found those who drink coffee in the morning have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who drink throughout the day.
Over the last few years, there have been a number of studies examining the potential health benefits and drawbacks of daily coffee drinking on heart health.
On the positive side, studies published in 2024 found that drinking coffee may help negate some of the harmful health effects of living a
Other research in 2024 reported some potential downsides, such as chronically drinking high amounts of caffeine at least five days a week may increase a person’s heart disease risk, and too much coffee may increase a person’s stroke risk.
Scientists have also examined the potential benefits of coffee drinking on non-heart related health issues, such as a study published in December 2024 that found drinking coffee and tea was correlated to lower risk of developing
“There is a body of studies on the effects of coffee drinking on human health; however, all these previous studies only test the amount of coffee consumption,” Lu Qi, MD, PhD, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans explained to Medical News Today. “To date no study has investigated the effects of the time of coffee drinking.”
For this study, Qi and his team analyzed data from more than 40,000 adults who took part in the
Participants were asked to detail the food and drink they ate for at least one day, including their coffee consumption. A sub-group of about 1,500 participants were also asked to document their food and beverage consumption for a full week.
Upon analysis, researchers found that participants who drank coffee in the morning were 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and a 16% reduced risk in all-cause mortality risk.
These benefits were seen in morning coffee drinkers regardless if they were moderate drinkers — two to three cups — or heavy drinkers — more than three cups — a day. There was only a small risk benefit for light morning drinkers who drank one cup of coffee or less.
“Our data indicates that drinking coffee in [the] morning only may strengthen the beneficial effects; while late drinking may minimize the benefits. Our results indicate that drinking in the morning is particularly beneficial for moderate and heavy drinkers (2 or more cups),” Qi said.
Although Qi and his team did not investigate how drinking coffee in the morning might offer better cardiovascular benefits than drinking it at other times of the day, Qi said that previous studies have shown late coffee drinking may disturb sleeping, which is at least in part account for the lack of benefit of all-day coffee drinking.
“It has been known human health including cardiovascular health is closely related to (the) body’s circadian rhythm regulation,” he explained.
“Food eating and beverage drinking are key circadian time cues. While most nutrition studies focus on the quantity of dietary intakes, few investigate the circadian patterns of food/beverage intakes. Coffee affects sleeping and various circadian rhythm related hormones such as melatonin, cortisol, and inflammation markers, which are relevant to heart health.”
— Lu Qi, MD, PhD
MNT had the opportunity to speak with Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, about this study.
“We’ve known for a while now about the health benefits of coffee drinking. This is the first indication that the timing of coffee drinking may have an impact on the actual health benefits, namely, that you get the health benefit only if you are a morning coffee drinker. It certainly throws a new perspective on how we may potentially recommend coffee drinking for its health benefits.”
— Cheng-Han Chen, MD
“We don’t really understand why coffee drinking might be better in the morning,” he continued. “It actually may be that the health benefits of coffee are negated by the negative consequences of drinking coffee at other times of the day, such as the afternoon or evening, in the sense that coffee drinking at those later times would be more likely to disrupt the body’s natural rhythms, what we call circadian rhythms, and potentially even lead to sleep disturbances.”
“Sleep disturbances in itself could end up having harmful effects on the body, which then negate the positive benefits of coffee drinking. It would be nice to have prospective data regarding the effects of the timing of coffee drinking on health outcomes,” Chen added.
